


Surf, Sand and... Steel

by IreneClaire



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Angst, Bromance, Comfort/Angst, Drama, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Team, Whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-05
Updated: 2014-10-22
Packaged: 2018-02-19 23:53:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 24
Words: 67,184
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2407514
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IreneClaire/pseuds/IreneClaire
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Based upon an actual news report and then taken by the muse as fodder ... what happens when a gun is found on the beach during one of Grace's school-oriented cleanup events?</p><p>My thanks to CinderH, TheDogo and KomodoQueen for their expert help in beta-ing at a moment's notice. Added thanks to KQ for such expert advice in all things 'medical' in nature.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.
> 
> Story is complete and a chapter (or more depending upon my mood) will be posted each day.

**Chapter One**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

 

It was a mid Friday morning and Grace shaded her eyes while taking a moment to watch the waves and the much too bright sun on the horizon. A few lone boats were far away and she shrugged almost bored before turning her attention back to the rocky shore line. It was going to be a hot day with not a cloud in sight. What felt like her entire school and even more ranged up and down the rough beach-head eagerly gathering up collected trash for the Oahu Schools annual volunteer event. Almost everyone had at least one parent present and happily participating in one way or another. But with this special school event, not only were classes canceled for the entire day, Grace was in the seventh glorious day in a row of having Danno entirely to herself.

Nothing could be better than this because they would rack up a total of nearly eleven consecutive days before all was said and done as they moved into a long weekend together. Grace smiled while staring at a small bobbing fishing boat but she was thinking about Danno's expression from three weeks earlier when her mother had so casually mentioned 'the issue'. At the time, Grace hadn't realized that she was necessarily part of the issue; only that the final solution involved her father.

 _"_ _Daniel, we need to discuss a change in your visitation schedule next month."_ Her mother's British accent had held a subtle teasing tone, but her father hadn't quite recognized it. In fact, he had been so stunned by the concept of changing anything, his ire had immediately risen to the top.

 _"_ _In what way?"_ Instantly tense and as wary as a cornered lion, he had virtually growled out the question and Grace had fought to keep from giggling from her hiding place at the top of the staircase. Her mother had told her about the change in plans well in advance because of the issue, so she knew what was coming. It was her mother's delivery that Grace hadn't anticipated and it had unraveled her high-strung father.

 _"Stan has an urgent business affair back on the mainland very early next month. Actually, we're leaving in two weeks and it's going to conflict with your usual schedule. It's going to overlap terribly."_  Rachel had sighed loudly, nonplussed by her ex-husband's increasing wrath.

 _"_ _We? How long? What overlap... exactly?"_  The short questions were primed as if readying for a fight and Grace had vainly hunkered down but had failed in seeing Danno's face at first.

 _"_ _Ten days, Daniel."_ From above, Grace had seen her mother firmly fold her arms over her chest. Her stance had been defiant; her voice even nonchalant, but Grace imagined the sly twinkle in her mother's eye which her father had again, completely chosen to miss.

 _"_ _You can't do this, Rachel. Ten days?"_ Danno had started to pace at that point. Bobbing in and out of Grace's line of sight, his stress level had risen at an almost unfair pace.

 _"I barely get enough time now! And school… I will not allow Grace to miss that much of her education!"_ There had been a pause then between the two. Rachel had sternly held her ground, tapping her fingers blandly against her opposite elbow. It aggravated her father and Danno had ceased his pacing just where Grace could see the angry turn of his chin. At this memory, her private smile deepened because the best part had been about to come. She remembered watching as her mother gracefully unfolded her arms to clasp her hands almost plaintively at chest height.

_"Well if you must know,_ _I won't allow it either. So while I know that this completely changes your usual schedule and it may require some readjusting on your part…. can Grace stay with you for the duration? I promise it won't interfere or change anything else already in place."_

_"_ _What?"_ The lone word and Danno's utterly baffled expression had sent Grace into a paroxysm of laughter at that point. Unable to hide any longer, she'd nearly fallen off the top landing in her haste to get to her feet and down the long staircase.

 _"_ _You'd need to pick her up a week early and well before that beach cleanup thing is going to happen. Then of course, that following weekend is your usual and includes the Monday holiday. I know it's a lot to ask because... well, I guess it's really eleven days and you are working."_ But by then, her mother was unable to hide her smirk and then was laughing at her own joke which prompted the continued look of disbelief encasing her ex-husband's face.  _"_ _Daniel, are you alright?"_

Giggling and looking from one to the other, Grace had flung herself into her father's arms and he still hadn't said a single word.

The memory made Grace's smile turn into another giggle. But it was a hot morning and she had things to do. Despite beginning to ache for a swim to cool her sweaty volunteer t-shirt, Grace got back to work. But not before a single glance behind her proved that Danno was still talking to Kia Montrose's mother. Well, at least Mrs. Montrose was talking Danno's ear clear off which was a phenomenal feat unto itself.

On top of that astonishing fact, Kia was embarrassed with her mother's behavior, evident by her tightly folded arms and her purposeful stalk in the completely opposite direction towards the shoreline. She was so upset with her mother's display, she had forgotten both her protective gloves and her refuse bucket.

Grace's amused shrug turned quickly into a knowing smirk as her father tried to back away from the overly affectionate dark-haired divorcee. With that one quiet attempt, Grace knew that he was far from interested after an obligatory nicety or two. Their eyes met for only a brief moment. Grace was smiling widely now and Danno was communicating a pleading look directly at her to save him from the well-manicured hand which lay so possessively on his arm.

Pursing her lips, Grace raced through ideas on what she could do but an excited exclamation from the two boys nearest her and picking up trash on the beach-head had her mouth dropping open in alarm.

"What is that? What did you find?" Shading her eyes now to where the two boys perched on the dangerous rocky outcropping, Grace frowned at the dark blocky rectangle which was quickly shielded from her sight. To her it only looked like a strange rock or darkly scored piece of driftwood. "You aren't supposed to be up there anyway."

"Shut up, Grace. It's none of your business." Partly turning away from her, Sammi hid what he was holding close to his chest. While she was on down below on the wet sands, he and Mark had clambered directly up the rocky shelf as soon as an adult had ceased paying them enough mind. The two troublemakers were best friends and constantly playing off each other to tease, goad and show off.

"Let me have it now." Mark whispered almost too loudly with a snide look to Grace and then up the beach towards the girl's father. So far no one was looking and he still had time. "Come on… give it back!"

Refusing to budge an inch, Grace stayed off the rocks as she tried to figure out what the boys had found. But when Mark tried to wrench the strangely shaped object from Sammi's hands, her eyes widened in shock as she got a much better look.

"Put it down!" Grace hissed almost fearfully when she saw what Mark Paquin and Sammi Kajla had found in the sandy muck and wedged between two slick, sea-damaged volcanic boulders. Instead of listening to her though, the bickering began to escalate as each boy started to tug the thing roughly between them for ownership.

_**~ to be continued ~** _


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

 

"Stop! Don't be stupid... get off!" Sammi punched Mark once in the shoulder as the tussle became more serious. "I'm going to drop it!"

The two teetered dangerously on the slippery rocks badly enough to stall their argument as they fought for individual balance. With his hands raised high and fisting the exciting find, Grace clearly saw the dull sheen of metal which Sammi held so protectively to prove what she thought she had seen the first time.

"Danno!  _Danno!_ " Her second stunned shout was louder and aimed in her father's direction as she stumbled backwards, only to fall splayed legged in the wet sand. Dumping her trash bucket in the process, she lost her voice for a moment as the rusty, sand-encrusted 9MM handgun wavered in the air when Sammi faltered and almost fell. To save himself and the weapon, he thrust the gun into Mark's hands before falling to one knee with a childish cry of pain as sharp volcanic rock tore flesh off his bare skin.

"Shhh!" Even from his near kneeling position and with tears in his eyes, Sammi managed to glare at the girl in anger. "Grace, shut up!" He hissed in fury that his classmate would automatically rat their find out to her police father. From his crouched position where he now rubbed around the deep bloody scrape on his knee, he watched Mark turn the gun over and over in his hands before possessively hefting its ocean-ruined weight.

"It's old and broken anyway. You're going to ruin everything!" Carefully standing and stumbling backwards a step, Sammi scowled at Grace from where he balanced now between a shallow crevasse and the relative safety of the sand. He threw her a dirty look when he saw her father approaching on fast jog. "Damn it! Mark, he's coming! Shit. Hide it!"

"You can't hide it!" Grace was shocked that they would try to lie about finding the weapon. But Sammi's juvenile attempt at swearing was upset and even tinged with fear as he wiped hot sweat from his forehead. There was no way to hide anything and he knew it. Still, excitement was winning out over caution as he demanded the deadly weapon before they had to turn it over to the adults. "Give it, Mark. I found it first! He's coming already and I want to hold it again."

"Put it down!" Unable to find her feet quite yet, Grace sat stranded in the wet sand completely ignoring the way her shorts were absorbing the uncomfortable salt water. She was mad now as she elevated her voice sternly. "You have to put it down!"

Raised with and around police officers, Danno had taught her about guns and the dangers regardless of what might look benign. While she certainly was not afraid of them, she understood and respected what could happen in the wrong hands.

Danno's first rule was very simple:  _Do Not Touch._

The second, third and fourth rules were also quite easy to remember:  _Do Not Touch_ _._ _EVER_ _._

And even though she rarely saw a weapon off her father's uniform or outside of his job, that rule had been ingrained into her very psyche since before she could walk. It was an important fact of life which Grace appreciated very much.

"Put it down, Mark… it's not safe!" Trying again as sweat trickled down her back and Sammi intentionally climbed back up to confront his friend, Grace bit her lip nervously when the boys began their argument all over again. Completely ignored, she could only uselessly watch as Mark especially seemed to get more angry at Sammi about who had found it and what would happen next.

"No! You did not find it first… I did!" Angrily, Mark clutched the 9MM to his chest while slapping Sammi's hand away. His nasty expression aimed entirely at Grace mirrored his best-friend's disgust before he quickly paid her no mind and disregarded any other unwanted advice she thought she had to offer.

"I know what I'm doing and I'm keeping it." Balanced similarly to Sammi, his back was to the open ocean and with his loss of focus, Mark tottered off-balance before regaining his tenuous footing. Snatching the weapon closer to his body, he evaded Sammi's seeking fingers even when his friend only seemed to want to help keep him upright. His face changed darkly when he noticed Grace's father so close now before aiming his defiantly hissed words back at Sammi.

"No way! I want it…. and I'm going to keep it!"

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

 

Danny smiled politely as little Kia Montrose's mother prattled on about the importance of his job and completely downplayed her impressed cooing regarding his participation on the Governor's personal task force. She was attractive and appeared to be demurely sweet with a strong, over-riding need for manly protection. But she was clearly not as vacuous or as helpless as that first impression based on her encroachment into his personal space. As Kia slunk away in abject humiliation, Danny only felt very sorry for the little girl who had more dignity and poise than the mother.

"Well. Coffee? Today?" He paused, then blanched as her hand tightened on his arm and the subject of coffee was brought up. The excuse was ridiculous. It was more than obvious that coffee and their children were simply means to a viper-like end… or  _beginning_  depending upon how you might want to perceive it. Danny easily chose  _end_  before things could escalate, but he failed to adroitly dislodge Gina's cherry-red talons.

"I know you must be very busy. But today would be perfect. Don't you think?" Gina Montrose casually rubbed her thumb a few times across his skin just above his watch. Blithely, she turned a blind eye to his lame attempt of widening the space between them. His squirmed step backwards merely resulted in one stalking slink forwards in an oily pursuit.

"Once the girls are done here… coffee for us and well, shave ice treats for them?"

"Umm. While that sounds nice, Grace and I do have another commitment. An important obligation, actually." He was lying through his teeth as he glanced over his shoulder nearly begging Grace to come to his rescue. Almost lying because it was merely pizza night and if he counted, maybe it would even be the third one that week. But who was counting? He and his daughter certainly weren't keeping track or complaining. Yet his deflection was also pitiable because he knew the seasoned divorcee easily guessed the sorry attempts to escape. The woman was outwardly pleasant but clearly not his type; though she evidently needed first-hand proof after depositing not one, but three war-torn and weary ex-husbands in her not so enviable wake. Having that happen once in his lifetime was enough for Danny. She was nothing more than a self-absorbed, lonely wolf in black sheep's clothing looking for attention.

"Grace and I have plans." Distracted as his special look beckoned Grace to his side, Danny was at first mortified by his daughter's almost adult-like answering grin, coy wave, and startling lack of obedience. Based upon Kia's own need to be invisible and his daughter's gleeful amusement, the elder Montrose evidently had a reputation amongst the children. One of which he would have greatly appreciated knowing before offering to carry her over-abundant supply of luncheon items to the picnic tables. So now, rather than getting support from his lovely daughter, he found himself momentarily numb-brained as he turned back towards Gina. "Uh... we have... uh, very important plans."

"Can't you change them, Danny? I can make it worth your… well, you  _know_. You are a detective after all." Gina purred and clung persistently, allowing her innuendo to hang as an enticement. Her hand was like a cold dead vise encircling his wrist though and Danny's smile wavered weakly as he decided how much force would be within the precepts of the law to free himself from her tines. How much weight full immunity and means might carry with Governor Denning as he envisioned physically peeling each finger from his skin.

"Nope. Can't do it." Irked by the persistence, Danny's tone of voice changed as he glanced again towards Grace. He was long tired of Gina and had more valid priorities. In fact, he knew the falsetto pitched  _'oh, please?'_ would come next and he smile-grimaced at what he guessed his mouth might accidentally… no, it would be on purpose… spew forth.

"Excuse me." More deliberately, Danny ended the conversation with the suddenly less amorous and jilted woman who was now taking personal exception to his refusals.

"Danno!" His daughter's panicked shout from the water's edge was timely, but the tone tore Danny's chest in half. A split second later, he automatically wrenched himself away from the offended Gina, leaving thin scratches from her manicured nails across his forearm. "Danno!"

"Did she fall?" Gina squeaked in true alarm. It hadn't taken much effort for Danny to free himself because her stunned gasp also had gauged the fear in the shouted words much as any parent's would. Yet Danny couldn't provide the obnoxious female any credit for that because he'd already forgotten her existence.

"Grace!" Danny's single-minded goal of reaching his daughter's side intensified as he saw her tumbling backwards in the sand. There was a low splash of water and his mind registered the stunned look on her face and the fact she was staring wide-eyed at the two young boys balanced precariously on the rocky outcropping.

"Grace? What's wrong?" Still many few feet from his daughter's side, Danny called to her yet she never turned his way or answered. From his vantage, he had only glimpsed Grace stumbling and falling to an awkwardly wet sitting position. Standing on the rocky out-cropping a few feet above her, two of her classmates seemed to be arguing over something and he frowned at the strange antics. In fact, his disapproval increased because the boys had no business looking for garbage or playing on the dangerous rocks.

Cupping his hands to his mouth, his next shout was for their benefit. "You boys! Get down off those rocks!"

He sighed in exasperation when the boys clearly feigned not being able to hear him above the sounds of the surf. Jogging nearer, Danny only assumed that they had found some oddity in the waters and were arguing over ownership. Then, though it wasn't like her, he wasn't immediately certain if Grace had disobeyed the orders not to climb the rocks and had tried to follow the boys.

"Grace? Are you okay, Monkey? Did you try to go up there?" Danny spouted the questions just before falling to his knees with a slap of water followed by a faint sandy, sucking sound as one knee sank a decent few inches deeper into the muck.

"Grace, what's wrong?" Regardless of the shallows, Danny bent over her shoulders to help her up, but she was shaking her head adamantly. She was soaked up to her waist now as rippling waves lapped lazily at her left hand which was fisted under the water in the murky sand, yet she wasn't looking at him.

Not at all.

He bent over her head with every intention of checking for cuts or abrasions from the sharp volcanic rocks, but Grace was practically entranced by the boys… and it wasn't out of jealousy or from a childish sense of being upset. His daughter was extremely angry. Ignoring the water and the way his left knee was sinking, Danny followed her dripping right hand which pointed unerringly up at the bickering twosome. Her focus was laser sharp and he followed her finger as she pointed in their direction and he finally saw what the two where holding.

_What they were arguing about._

"Oh nonono." Danny muttered repetitively under his breath. He was about to holler at them to get down when the warning subsequently died on the tip of his tongue. He clearly saw it, nevertheless he certainly didn't believe his eyes until Grace spoke the unfathomable truth out loud.

"They have a gun." His stomach churned as his very worst fear solidified into reality as she stumbled over a horrific truth. "Danno, they found a gun stuck in the rocks. A real gun."

In an instant, Danny had Grace in his arms and then shielded by his body. The belligerent looks shared on the boys' faces indicated that they knew they were in the wrong. However, they seemed more annoyed with Grace about confessing their exciting find as they tussled each other for its ownership. From that moment on, Danny barely heard her worried objection and only registered the fact that she had listened. His own focus narrowed to a pinpoint as his attention was drawn entirely to the juvenile altercation with the not-so childish brackish piece of steel. "Go, Grace. Right now and tell everyone to stay away. Tell your teacher to call HPD."

"But." Grace tried but his eyes now never left the two boys or the dangerous object they were so infatuated with as it was resentfully pushed and pulled amongst excited and very uneducated fingers.

"But… Danno." Her nearly inaudible complaint was only automatic because she was already obeying him on a run and looking for the nearest adults.

Behind her, she could hear her father talking firmly to the two boys in a calm but authoritative voice and tears pricked her eyes. Danno could do anything and she knew that he would be able to get the gun away from Mark and Sammi. After being submerged in the ocean, it was probably broken anyway and just like Sammi said. But becoming more frightened with every step that took her away from Danno and closer to her confused teacher, Grace felt a lump formed by fear sealing off her throat.

_**~ to be continued ~** _


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Crazy long work day anticipated tomorrow - chapter posting today.

**Chapter Three**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

 

Sweat beaded across his brow for an entirely new reason as Danny eyed the weapon in Mark's small hands. For the briefest of moments he turned his sights to Sammi who was not only closer, but wobbling unsteadily on his sneakered feet before making a decision. He would start there and remove at least one boy from the equation.

"I found it first." Sammi blurted defensively. Both boys were essentially good kids, if not a bit of trouble and hyperactive. Reading the boy's mannerisms, Danny slightly relaxed because Sammi already recognized that his time with the exciting 9MM was up. Rubbing at his bloody knee, it was obvious that he'd had enough even though his whine was petulant. Without being asked, he was clambering down to Danny as soon as the older man's hand beckoned to him.

"I did. I found it first, Mr. Williams." He made a penitent face and paled as he was easily swung to the sand, readying himself for the extreme scolding. Sammi was surprised though when the tongue lashing never came. In fact, Grace's father didn't yell at all. He merely pushed him towards where the crowd had gathered by the parking lot.

"Okay, Sammi. Go up there, have someone look at your knee, and wait for us. Everything's fine."

Squaring his shoulders, Sammi pursed his lips firmly together since he had Danny's attention. "I did find it first. No matter what Mark says."

"He's lying!" Behind them though and still up high on the rocks, Mark hissed at his friend's claim. Without looking, Danny knew the second youngster was going to be the much bigger challenge. Instead of feeling a bit contrite, he was dealing with anger. Worse, instead of wanting to help to do the right thing, he was dealing with a over-riding obstinate selfishness. In short, Mark was going to buck the figure of authority. "No way! I found it and I'm getting the credit!"

"I am not lying!" Sammi shouted back. Ready to fight again, Danny had to grab Sammi by the arm to forestall him from going in the wrong direction. Newly upset by Mark's bragging, Sammi looked almost tearful as he pleaded his case with Danny who had crouched down to give him a little shake as a warning to calm down. "But I'm not! I don't lie... not ever."

"Nuh -uh, we're done with the fighting! It doesn't really matter who found it first because HPD will need both of you to help." Purposefully, Danny kept his voice low and calm. Inside he was tightly strung as his itchy fingers held Sammi's skinny wrist. One boy was closer to safety at least and Danny tried to keep the mood light with a friendly hand on the wind-tousled sun-bleached head. "Go find your mom, Sammi, and then you can tell HPD all about it."

"So we aren't in trouble?" Turning back once to completely exasperate Danny, Sammi insisted upon asking about his biggest worry. "You don't think we're going to jail?"

Genuinely upset, he practically bounced on his toes while simultaneously glaring at Mark who still had yet to budge from his perch.

"What?" Maybe too dramatically, Danny forced his hands to plaster to his hips before he snorted in mock disbelief. "Trouble? No way! You two might even wind up being heroes… we need to get it bagged and taken to forensics to see if we can find out where it came from."

"Cool," Sammi murmured, with an impressed glance up his friend. "Forensics… that's the science stuff, right? Like on TV?"

"Yup. Go to your mother for now though and get a bandage for your knee," Danny pushed urgently with his focus now entirely back towards Mark. Based on the boy's posture and defiant expression, his biggest problem was both afraid, defensive and not entirely trusting of his words.

"So. You're Mark, right?" With Sammi dutifully trotting off, Danny boldly walked forward to crest the first of the volcanic rocks. "How the hell did you get out there?" he muttered under his breath while trying to pick his way carefully up the jagged face. When he found a relatively stable place to stand, Danny couldn't help wondering how the boy had managed to so adroitly traverse the distance. The width between beach and where he now loitered high on the rocks was impressive for the uneven surface and deep water-filled crevasses. Up on the highest point, Mark's back was to the ocean as a shallow spray of foam flew up just behind him. Then, as if to prove Danny's unspoken thoughts, Mark teetered in place as he clutched the gun possessively to his chest despite its sandy filth.

"Hey, take it easy! It's slippery! You need to come down and give me the gun so HPD can check it out." The boy's head rudely jerked to decline his request, making Danny wince as his hand instantly went out, fearful Mark would fall backwards into the water. In fact, he was terrified that the weapon could truly discharge despite its weather-worn and battered dingy metal. With the agility of youth though, Mark bore his sneakers into the uneven surface as he mentally waffled against the adult's demands.

"It does matter who found it first. It's mine and I found it between the rocks." Pointing somewhere off to Danny's right side, Mark was even more adamant now that Sammi was no longer in earshot.

"That's fair, Mark. Okay." The single-minded competitive persistence was already exhausting and Danny inhaled sharply before giving a tight appreciative nod. "Okay, I understand that it's important to you. But do me a favor and just put the gun down on that nice flat rock to your left. I want you to come to me and show me exactly where you found it."

Though no one might see it, Danny was impatient as he waited for Mark to make his decision. Tense and muscles ready to react at a moment's notice, but to do  _what_  Danny had no clue being so far away. Instead, he fought to keep his fists from visibly clenching when the boy didn't move. "Mark? Put it down first and get off the rocks. I don't want you to fall."

"I'm not going to fall." Contrary by nature and defensive by habit, Mark chuffed in a glorified feeling of bravado. But he reeled dangerously again despite the defensive retort. Catching himself smartly, he straightened his knees to show off his skills and smiled bravely. "See?"

"Yeah, okay. Good job… now put the gun down and come closer so you can take my hand. I'm going to have to help you get down." Standing sideways to better anchor himself, Danny extended his right hand as he tried to smile. But he failed as the boy mockingly bounced in jest to show off. Annoyed, Danny growled under his breath as he examined what he could see of the water-logged weapon wishing he could see if it held a slug or was damaged beyond repair. The gun was likely destroyed by water and the elements, but he didn't want to take any chances. He swallowed a worried grimace as the metal was clutched spasmodically and without care to the boy's t-shirt.

"Mark, put it down carefully and then take my hand. HPD is almost here." Making a beckoning signal as the sound of sirens approached from the main road, Danny climbed more closely to find purchase on a fairly decent portion of rock. Still though, he was positioned below the boy and the two were separated by a larger water-filled crevasse. While it seemed as if he was nearer, he was still greatly inhibited. Continuing to fail at finding better options without Mark being willing to compromise, he scowled unhappily. If Mark didn't make an effort to meet him halfway, there wasn't even an opportunity for the boy to willingly hand him the gun.

"I'd like you to just put it down on that rock. Then, I need you to show me exactly where you found it because that part is very important. If you fall showing off, you aren't going to be able to show me or HPD anything." Putting a small ounce of severity into his tone, Danny watched the small smile flee Mark's face but their discussion was taking much too long. Danny's new concern of having more officers arrive might then provide the wrong import which would only make matters worse.

Mark's excitement was part of the winning mix as the piercing sound of sirens continually reached them on the breeze. He looked out across the beach where the rest of his schoolmates were gathered in groups. His own mother had her hand over her mouth as she stared in his direction. Everyone was watching them, his mother was frightened for him and for that, he didn't know why and it made him mad.

"How do I know you aren't going to get me in trouble?" His tone was different from Sammi's; more wary and far less trusting. Mark had to know for certain because he knew his mother down to the twitch of her pinky finger. Based on what he was reading of her posture, she was not happy with him at all and he was already in trouble for taking a few dollars from her wallet without permission. She would tell his father about this too and he couldn't imagine how he'd be punished this time. Grounded for a month already by both his parents, they were only allowing him to participate in the school's beach cleanup event as part of his punishment. "My mom looks pretty mad to me."

"Other than for being out here on the rocks, I don't see why she'd be mad at you. I'll set things straight with her if you're worried. Seriously, if the gun was used in a crime, you're only going to be helping the police find the suspect." Narrowing his eyes quizzically at the changeable tone, Danny cocked his head subtly. Mark was definitely worried about his parents. Filing that away for later use, Danny forced a grin entirely for the young boy's benefit while trying to reach out again with his right hand, but things changed in a heart beat.

"Mark!" Danny flinched when Mark slipped and then bobbled in place as a larger wave loudly slapped the rocks behind him without warning. "You need to get down from there. It sounds like the tide is coming in."

Heaving in a breath to quiet himself, Danny couldn't help the exasperation which crept into his tone. He was ready for a new plan as the young boy waffled between trust and belligerence. If he could get closer with more ease, he'd be tempted to just remove the gun with one simple motion. If he could just get  _closer_ without needing to climb upwards, he could literally swing the boy into his arms. He could reach out and touch the boy's hand to enclose the small fingers safely in his own to manage the weapon.

_If.    If.    If._

But as his own feet slipped on the rocks and he fought for purchase, Danny was essentially stranded where he currently was balanced. He was sweating profusely now as the sun beat down relentlessly on his back. Even Mark's face was becoming flushed from the heat as the black volcanic rock absorbed the sun's rays. Hardly balanced and with hands slick with sweat, he'd never be able to move fast or smoothly enough to use any one of his other mentally prepared options. In essence, he was completely stuck and he needed Mark to do the right thing on his own.

"Listen to me. No, no she's not mad…. she's going to be very proud of you once we secure the weapon and you help HPD out." Using the side of his arm, Danny swiped the sweat from his forehead, but not before glimpsing a disbelieving frown which he had no time to decipher. "It's damned hot out here too so we need to have this talk somewhere else, buddy."

"Secure it?" Mark questioned, a grin splitting his face. He didn't quite care about being too hot, though he could feel the soles of his feet baking through the stones. With a final glance to his mother, he carefully made a decision. "I'll really get to help the cops and find out if it was used in a real crime?"

"Scouts honor, buddy. Put it down though because it could be loaded. Now that HPD is here, you have to help them bag and tag it as evidence." Danny intentionally used big words and grand descriptions. "Plus, I can get you into the forensics lab to see how they check for prints and other clues."

"You're kidding? A real lab?" Mark smiled, gape-mouthed as the first of two HPD cruisers pulled into the beach's parking lot. His eyes flew from the cruisers and then settled fully back to Danny's face. He was sold now and Danny carefully inhaled a thread of air in relief because Mark finally said the words which Danny needed to desperately hear. "Okay, Mr. Williams. As long as I get to help."

"I promise that you will. I really do, Mark. Go slow now; we have all the time in the world." Danny audibly sighed in relief when the twelve-year old nodded and bent awkwardly down to place the gun on the suggested flat portion of rock. The gun was nearly there when a sneakered foot finally did give way on the slick surface. In slow motion, Mark's expression changed entirely as he windmilled frantically to keep his balance. This time, he wasn't regaining his footing no matter his natural agility and he gasped in fear.

"Mark!" "Lunging upwards with his right hand and extending his body as far as possible, Danny was at a terrible disadvantage. Too far away to snag a slender arm, touch the tips of small fingers or even make a last-minute grab for an ankle, still he tried. Dangerously slipping himself, he nearly fell as he scrambled upwards in what would be a vain attempt to prevent the inevitable.

Impulsively Mark tried to save himself, reach Danny for help, as well as rescue the treasured 9MM handgun. But in doing so, his fingers fumbled, groped and then clenched around the weapon's grip to accidentally connect with the trigger. Depressed with a sudden spastic sharpness, the unexpected report of the weapon was loud and instead of finding help, Mark found himself falling backwards.

"Help!" His frightened shout was broken in half as his back connected with a sharp slicing piece of rock. Almost upside down as he toppled helplessly through the air, Mark glimpsed Grace's father's stunned face and then the bright blueness of sky before a terrible pain crashed through his head. The crippling ache stopped his breath as the flash of foaming waters closed too quickly over his face.

Within seconds, young Mark fell bruised and bloodied into the Pacific-side of the volcanic outcropping. He tumbled directly into the deeply swirling ocean waters at their base where they rushed against the rocks, not understanding what had happened or why Grace's father had fallen in the opposite direction.

_**~ to be continued ~** _


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

 

Two people screamed when Mark disappeared from view. Simultaneously, Danny fell backwards into the sands and on the mental count of almost five long  _Mississippi-seconds_  of time, the soft out-of-place pop echoed in on the shore's breeze. One was Mark's own mother, Mrs. Paquin, who then roughly shirked free from Mrs. Anderson's restraining embrace with her only purpose being the rescue of her son. Her sandals were off without thinking as she entered the water to round the rocky outcropping while screaming her son's name the entire time. First knee deep, the swells rose quickly to her waist as she jumped and half-swam towards her goal, avoiding partially submerged rocks by mere inches.

The second person who screamed was oddly not Grace but the divorcee, Gina Montrose, who then literally fainted on the spot. To her future chagrin though, not a single person gave immediate notice. The rest of the large group was frozen in a tableau of stunned silence until the four HPD officers fled their vehicles to converge upon the beach. With that certain rise in hectic activity, a child sobbed and then two other parents had the wherewithal to follow Beth Paquin's wake in an urgent sense of terror. Yet, when they got to the shoreline, fear and uncertainty kept them from following her into the dangerous swells.

Hands fisted by her side in fear of what she had just witnessed, Grace watched her Danno fall heavily to the ground. It was as if a big invisible hand had swooped him from the rocks to deposit him harshly into the sands. No longer able to see Mark, she knew instinctively what had happened as her leaden feet drew her back to the beach. The gun hadn't been so broken after all. For a long moment, Grace's stomach was tied in knots as she helplessly stared at her father's downed body. Told to stay away but needing to move, her first tentative steps forward soon became more committed.

"Danno," Grace managed a whisper and then conquered a few more feet of sand to close the distance to her father. She was running by then with puffs of sanding flying in every direction, but her shocked yelp was for the unexpected vertical feeling as strong arms swept her skywards.

"Wait,  _keiki_!" The familiar voice boomed virtually in her ear, yet Grace insisted upon fighting the restrictive hands.

"Put me down! He needs help... he needs... me!" Her tears spilled over in both fear and anger as her progress was duly thwarted by Sergeant Duke Lukela. He and the second unit had already parked and were on their way to the beach in order to help Danny when they witnessed the accident. Their combined sense of urgency increased as each reacted to manage critical tasks such as calling emergency services and then spontaneously deciding how to assist each victim.

With Lukela managing Grace, two HPD officers quickly bypassed the struggling pair as they ran towards Danny, while a third veered for the direction of the boy whom no one could see by that point. Rather than scaling the rocks, that one officer plunged past the gathered bystanders to unerringly enter the waters much the same way Mrs. Paquin had gone.

"Let me go!" Grace shouted while unable to break free from the iron grip. Pushing and pulling with all her might at Duke's arms, she panted breathlessly in a mounting sense of frustration. "No! Danno!"

"Grace, your father would want you to stay here with me. He has help... we're helping him. It's alright." Duke held her firmly, not at all surprised by her adamant demands or her strength as she fought his hold like an enraged tiger.

"Put me down. He's hurt and I want to see him!" Tears increased tenfold as she lost her argument with the older officer only to collapse into his embrace. Nothing was alright as their beautiful morning was turned irrevocably upside down. Her emotions floundered from fear to anger and then back to an overwhelming panic as she failed in understanding such a rapid change of events. Just a few minutes earlier everything had been fine; it had been blissfully perfect.

"No. No, he's hurt." Suddenly whispering, Grace's voice broke in shock. Sammi had listened so quickly to Danno and he had returned to his mother's side with a happy shout. He had been laughing and bragging about finding a real clue to a crime. She was sure that Mark would do exactly the same thing; that he would understand and do what Danno said because it was the right thing. She watched them talking on the rocks, confused by what was taking so very long. Finally, Mark had bent down and it had looked like he was putting the gun where Danno pointed. But then Mark had slipped and Danno... he had fallen, too.

Wending her arms around Duke's neck, she cried into his uniform as her father remained on his back in the sand and not even a finger twitched. Through her watery eyes and breaths only punctuated by sporadic sobs, Grace vaguely realized that Lukela's own partner was disappearing around the worst of the rocky beachhead. Bobbing and jumping through waves much as Mark's mother had done, the last thing she could see was his outstretched hands. It meant that he could see Mrs. Paquin and though he was sure to be badly hurt, both adults now had Mark.

"Put me down." Grace's pleading whisper was faint now. Her head hurt from the stress and her throat felt raspy and dry as it closed tightly like a fist. She glimpsed the other two officers by her father's side and Grace whimpered as Duke carried her back to the patrol car. It was the wrong direction and the chasm between her and Danno seemed as large as a desert. Panicking anew as she lost sight of him, Grace felt Duke gently stroking her hair, then her back as she uselessly tried see what else was happening. It was impossible though to see more than a faint outline of an arm or then a t-shirt for the bodies of the other two HPD officers urgently tending him. Dimly, Grace understood that Mrs. Anderson had shown up to walk along with Duke as he carried her, but she didn't care by that point.

"I want to see him. Let me go." Begging around shattered breaths, Grace allowed her tears to continue to fall as Duke used one hand to open the passenger door of the cruiser where he turned to sit so he could balance her on his lap. Slouching down, she hid her face from his constant and soothing chatter.

"No,  _keiki_. You know I can't do that… but we'll get this sorted out. Don't you worry."

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

 

Through slitted eyes Danny mutely looked at the blue of the sky wondering what had just happened. At such close range, the force of the bullet had taken him clear off his feet and then down the majority of the rocky outcropping as if he was nothing more than a rag doll. Sprawled, with arms flung out wide, his legs were technically elevated at the volcanic base, while the rest of his body lay in hard-packed, wet sand. Not a single portion of his body would have responded to an impulse if he'd thought hard enough to even try to send a personal command. Not a finger twitched nor a muscle trembled from the strain which his system had just experienced. In fact, his hearing had also gone with his sudden crash to the earth and all he seemed to grasp was the mere fact that he was laying stranded on his back.

The dark shadow which blocked the sky was sudden and he blinked slowly once and then twice in a useless attempt to focus his vision. Through the smear of colors, he didn't immediately recognize or understand that a uniformed HPD officer was looming over his head. Nor could he hear any simple sounds which should have been coming from rapidly moving lips. He missed the shared litany of the two HPD officers who were actively gauging the severity of the gunshot wound before finding the blood on the back of his head and then more from miscellaneous abrasions sustained from the volcanic rocks.

_"Gut wound. Watch his head... anything else?"_

Pressure came and went along his arms, then his legs. It skirted his chest, neck and then the back of his head. Almost partially blind in his shock, Danny lay unresponsive and allowed it all to just happen until the pressure settled determinedly on his right side. The pressure focused and then increased at an uncomfortable rate. It was then his fingers clenched, spasmed and dug into the sand as its culmination created an ember of pain which was driven relentlessly into his very bones.

_"Can't find an exit. He's barely breathing... Detective?"_

There was a faint hiss of sound which emanated from his own lips in refusal or even a request to stop, yet the pressure continued on with a terrible diligence. His slow blink crawled to a standstill as his eyes dipped shut against that startling blossom of pain which crept into his chest and abdomen before it dropped dangerously into the small of his back. Confused and helpless to prevent the solid mass which began to strangle the life from his lungs a millimeter at a time, Danny spasmodically tried to cough. The barely whistled tendril of air wasn't enough though as he failed to catch his breath adequately, groaning as true darkness teased his awareness.

_"Hold him! Keep his neck steady!"_

Stirred by panic, Danny convulsed then as the pain spasmodically counter-arched him off the ground while another blurred shadow assisted the first to hold his shoulders down and then keep his head in place; nevertheless, Danny still had no sense of what had happened. He was still deafened to either sound or speech; there was only the fire which sent flames to singe his lungs with each thinly attempted inhale of air.

_"Detective, can you hear me? How far out is the ambulance? His breathing's all messed up... maybe a lung."_

Writhing as he slowly suffocated from his damaged lung, Danny struggled under the only hands seeking to help him. He couldn't hear the overwhelming commotion taking place on the beach. He never heard Mark's mother screaming as she and Duke's partner carried her grievously injured son out of the waters. Danny could only feel the slicing agony that ripped downwards from his chest and into his back. With nowhere to go, the pain surged upwards once more to find a place where, no matter how hard he tried, Danny still couldn't quite breathe.

_**~ to be continued ~** _


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

 

In a single breathless motion, Steve body-slammed himself through the sluggishly opening doors of the emergency room, taken aback by the sheer volume of people in its main lobby. Children, parents, uniformed officers and now he too, milled about vainly looking for a friendly face and searching for answers.

"Duke!" He finally spied the older sergeant and audibly sighed in relief when Grace peeked out from around him. Her stricken look mirrored his own as she bolted from her chair to throw herself into his arms. Her face was blotchy and reddened from tears which were still occasionally trickling down her cheeks. Once she reached Steve, she was sobbing all over again.

"Any word yet?" Caressing Grace's back in slow circles Steve softly addressed Duke whose stern countenance was answer enough. Things were bad and there was no definitive word on Danny; further proof was currently throttling his very neck and leaving wet stains on the collar of his dark blue shirt. He had a rudimentary understanding of what had happened that morning at the beach. But being called in for the unanticipated emergency from the Five-0 offices, it was enough at that moment to focus solely on Grace and then on the splintered bits of information being spoon fed from the doctors. It was only a matter of time until they learned the whole story and by then, the informational and emotional floodgates would be overwhelmingly melded together.

Trying not to listen, Grace couldn't help herself as she dwelled on the carefully shared details. Her headache had increased to a such an extent, it left her overly quiet and unwilling to move. Yet, she couldn't do the most important thing of turning her brain off. Based on the brief discussion, it was clear that Danno was injured very badly. He would need a big operation and a very special doctor. Sergeant Lukela had been doting on her the entire time, too. Next to the chair he'd sat her in was a stack of canned drinks, candy and even a plastic wrapped pastry from the vending machines. All the more, officers she didn't know were smiling nicely to her and hovering just a bit too closely. None of it boded well and Grace closed her eyes while laying her cheek tiredly on Steve's shoulder, quietly absorbing his hum which vibrated into her ear.

"Nothing?" Frowning, Steve mouthed the word to encourage Duke to carefully share what he might be able to speak out loud. The answering nod was slight and aimed in Grace's direction as the sergeant searched for the right words.

"Danny's being treated; stabilized and then probably prepped for surgery… but they're waiting on the physician and a few test results." Not knowing too much more but enough that might frighten Grace more than she already was, Duke's lament was duly edited for sensitive ears. While eyeing the back of Grace's quivering shoulders, his steady sigh was rife with concern and topped with a great deal of bewilderment.

"The little boy hurt his back and hit his head when he fell off the abutment and into the water. They're bringing in experts to assess his condition; the water wasn't very deep."

"Okay." Steve nodded as he filled in the holes and valleys purposefully skipped over by the wise officer. Baffled, he shook his head as he looked around from where he stood idle with Duke in their small corner of the emergency room. But his thoughts were racing regarding the unspoken implications. Mark Paquin had sustained serious head and back injuries requiring specialized care. When it came to Danny, waiting for the physician meant _the right surgeon._ And that could also indicate a  _specialist_  had perhaps been called in to manage his partner's surgical needs. His partner was likely close by, too as the medical staff worked to stabilize his condition, but Steve quite literally had his hands full. He didn't dare deposit Grace back into Duke's hands no matter how capable. Soothing himself as much as he was Grace, Steve also read through Duke's dire tone. No matter who or what might be demanded, no one was being allowed to see Danny regardless.

"Damn it." Steve closed his eyes as he barely mumbled under his breath and shifted Grace's weight in his arms which only served to tighten her strangle-hold on his neck. With a nod towards Duke, he walked quietly further down a more lightly inhabited corner to be alone with her. "How are you doing, sweetheart?"

Hidden in his neck, there was no sound. Not a whisper. Only the tiniest of shrugs which inadvertently brought on a tirade of new sniffles. "Hey, hey. Gracie." Steve found himself shushing and jostling her as if she were a toddler. With no chairs to be had and her resistance to being put down, he wound up walking the corridor to and fro in a short cyclical pattern while simply talking and hoping she'd say something in reply.

"I know it's hard. I know; I do. But he's in good hands and as soon as the doctors know something important, they'll come over and tell us."

Concentrating too hard again, Grace's stomach twisted in response to a particularly sharp throbbing in her head. She had listened to Duke while he had contacted Steve from the police car with sirens screaming as they followed behind the ambulance. Uncle Steve was finally with her which made things so much better, but there was no miracle and she still didn't know anything more about Danno. Feeling sick and extremely tired, Grace simply couldn't think of a single word to say. Instead she blinked against the dull thud between her eyes to find the buttons on his shirt.

"Grace, do you need anything?" Gently prompting, Steve tried to draw her out. Still though, she didn't do more than nod into his neck, only tiredly looking out to fumble forlornly with the pocket of his denim shirt. Her face was pale, but blotched in an unhealthy pattern of redness from near constant crying. Steve didn't doubt she needed a cold drink or some sort of break from the hectic pace of the emergency room. However, he also knew that she would never willingly do either without him. Leaning back while she perched in his arms, Steve offered her a smile while he pushed lank hair back from her over-heated face.

"It'll be okay, Grace. You can stay with me until we get to see Danno and then for as long as you want." Steve thumbed a tear from her cheek as she finally mumbled a sad affirmative sound. Her reactions combined with Duke's profound serious nature only heightened Steve's discomfort and he purposefully wandered back to the main area.

His second assessment was no different than that of his arrival. If anything, more people had arrived after the news was shared by overly excited students, concerned parents and stunned teachers. Returning to the main area, it now appeared as if the entire school had finally followed the two ambulances and multiple police vehicles to the hospital in a horrified procession. Co-mingled amongst the distressed gathering were staff nurses, orderlies and doctors; all of whom were attempting to manage multiple questions as well as the needs of other quite unrelated patients.

"We need to clear this place." In a normal conversational tone, Steve calmly spoke over Grace's head, not only to Duke but also to the two closest HPD officers. "Only family should be here at this point. Find a way to politely clear out whomever is non-essential."

Quietly and with care, the twosome started their task with gentle encouragement and guiding instructions. Most of the group were reticent about leaving, each understanding the need for privacy and the emergency room eventually began to lighten its load. However, Steve groaned into Grace's hair as the first of what could be many of the media arrived. The large white van with the ostentatious self-advertisement for one of Hawaii's most extensive television stations arrived with great fanfare wholly for itself. Nearly leaping from the passenger seat, the male news reporter already had a microphone in hand and a firm grasp of his camera-man's shoulder before the side doors of the van slid entirely open.

Forcing her eyes open, Grace automatically followed Steve's unconscious motion. She too was surprised by the crowded room and then the news crew, shrinking back slightly in Steve's arms. It was better with her eyes closed where she felt safely cocooned in the denial of darkness; blinded to prying eyes and sharply painful fluorescent lights. Adopting her former position of having her head resting on Steve's shoulder, Grace tried to get part of that feeling back. It wasn't easy though because now she had looked and seen the busy swirl of people. Combining with her headache, even Steve seemed suddenly more intense.

"Get them out of here, too. We don't have time for this." While still even-toned, Steve's voice carried a hint of his anger which automatically switched back to soothing as he felt Grace virtually melt into his body. Emotionally drained, she was reacting physically to the smallest nuance of his words and he focused now on softly murmuring in her ear.

He'd gotten the urgent call from Duke in the Five-0 offices and had sent a series of things in motion before literally running out the doors. Besides organizing the cousins who were at Halawa prison interviewing a felon, he had directly contacted Charlie Fong to request his personal assistance in guiding the forensics team at the crime scene. After, his only goal was getting to the hospital for both his partner and for Grace.

"It's alright." Murmuring softly, Steve simply held Grace tightly in his arms feeling every subtle tremor in her body, finally understanding that she might actually be sick. "Shhh. It's okay, Gracie. Duke and I have all of this under control. Aunt Kono and Uncle Chin will be here soon…. everything's going to be fine."

He felt the sad agreeable moan through his neck rather than heard it. Continuing to look over her weary dark head, Steve glared at the reporter as the pushy man was waylaid not only by HPD, but also hospital security and administrative staff just within the space of the double doors. He and other reporters would be handled thusly until someone in official authority was ready to provide a proper statement.

What none of them could stop though was the errant parent headed off in the parking lot as they dutifully left the property. Steve growled resentfully under his breath as he caught sight of a mother and two bewildered children cornered before they could find their car. At first appearing to be reserved, they eventually provided some sort of impression of that morning's events, and Steve glowered to himself for the media's dogged perseverance. Some news or other would certainly be getting out into the social mainstream within the hour; truthful, embellished or even worse.

There would be no real way to prevent those initial leaks from beginning and so Steve turned away, once more looking for a secluded corner. A place where he could sit with Grace and coax her to have a drink or even nap as the stressful day wore on. But once more Duke had intervened with a kind nurse who was stunned to learn that their charge was the injured detective's daughter. Moments later, Steve had been pressed to take a small examination room where Grace could relax after that same nurse had sweetly provided an appropriate child's dosage of over-the-counter pain medication.

Feeling empty and cold at first as Steve insisted she lay on the gurney, Grace eventually calmed as the nurse and then Duke left the room. Experimenting with the lights, Steve finally found the right combination to dim the glare of the overhead bulbs to leave just the single light on over the spartan single sink.

"Better?" Squinting but watching him like a hawk, Grace murmured a faint yes when Steve ceased his pacing to take a seat in one of the available chairs. He heaved a sigh as they momentarily stared each other down, wondering if the other was indeed okay. "Close your eyes and get some rest. I'm not going anywhere."

"Uncle Steve." The medicine hadn't quite begun to work yet and Grace swallowed hard as her stomach roiled uncomfortably. She must have looked funny for his disagreeable frown. But he knew what she was going to say as she struggled to keep her burning eyes open.

"I promise, Grace." Steve leaned forward to take her hand, a bit happier to find it less cold than it had been when he'd first arrived. "I'll wake you as soon as the doctor comes. And like I said before, I'm not going anywhere."

Holding his hand and with that promise repeating in her head, Grace closed her eyes, dozed and eventually fell asleep.

_**~ to be continued ~** _


	6. Chapter 6

 

**Chapter Six**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

 

As his struggle to draw in an adequate breath of air continued, his right arm was held firmly over his head. Other hands restrained his left arm along with his upper body while commands were called out in multiple voices. The feelings of being trapped did nothing for his mental state as true physical agony only seemed to escalate in kind. It was a blur of motion, pain and a dreadful need to simply breathe as Danny became what seemed like nothing more than a  _thing_  to be shuffled about amongst too many hands. Of course that was hardly the truth as first the emergency medical technicians fought to stabilize his condition, followed now by the experts in the emergency room. Conscious enough, he would remember the worst bits and pieces of pain when time seemed to stand still into one paroxysm of endless suffering. But now, he didn't care what the various test results proved; suspended in what seemed like a circle of agony, Danny was fighting to breathe and remain calm. His turmoil even prevented clear thought about his daughter or what might have happened to the young boy. In pain and feeling manhandled, Danny could only ride the course of the violent wave being inflicted upon him.

"Detective, we're going to localize the area along your ribcage. Once the anesthetic takes effect, you're going to feel the pressure increase." He must have mumbled something because there was a friendly squeeze to the wrist being held securely over his head. "The next bit is going to be a bit... rougher. You're going to feel what we're doing, but it's normal and I'll coach you as we go."

"  _'kay_." Raspy voiced, Danny wasn't sure he'd made a loud enough sound until the answering squeeze followed once more on his wrist. As the area was numbed, Danny felt the subsequent pressure but then he couldn't adequately ready himself for what was explained, no matter its delivery.

"Try to exhale for me, we're almost there but I need to go a bit deeper." Danny's mind stuttered as the pressure increased along with a heated pain which conflicted with his attempt to do as he was bade. "Ready, now. This bit is going to feel like a knife but it will be over soon. One more push... we're almost there."

"Stop." Danny gasped, whimpered and squeezed his eyes tightly shut as a hot brand literally fingered its way between skin and bone; he felt an added firm thrust and then... the sear of fire trilled alarmingly inside his chest. The hands encompassing his right arm, wrist and left side bore down as their patient reflexively heaved in reaction. His murmurs were plaintive, choked and sadly pleading as the chest tube was inserted between his ribs, into his chest cavity and then diligently padded, stitched and taped in place. His voice dipped, quavered only to disappear in a series of panted moans, barely audible to the medical team so focused on his care. "Please... stop. Just... stop. "

"We got it... it's done... we're done," the faceless voices promised and chanted over and over as Danny fought a nausea that ripped through him from stem to stern. Stained in sweat, Danny trembled as the hands slowly released their strangling grips, encouraging him to relax and find a semblance of center. But for a time, the pain remained much too slowly lessening in its crescendo. Eventually, he acclimated realizing that riding along with the lessening sharp ache was a marked ability to breathe.

"His oxygen levels are not great... but they are improving. Blood pressure... needs to stabilize." No longer being spoken to, Danny vaguely listened to numbers and vital statistics being spouted over the gurney. He was still being touched, poked and prodded yet could do nothing. Laying there in a fugue, Danny was completely unable to find the wherewithal to move or ask questions as the general state of urgency continued to swirl around him.

"Detective, the surgeon is here now. We're going to take you up... your family's been informed. They will be here when you get to recovery." The one soft voice finally drifted down specifically to him. It took his brain a few agonizingly slow seconds to catch up and to understand what he'd been told. Then it wasn't the surgery that kept his focus. It was the latter half of the words which lingered to cause both alarm and a sense of peace.

"My... daughter? She... she's Grace." He pushed past pain and fought to get her name out. Pleading someone to hear what was barely audible in his own head. There was a movement by his side, forcing him to open eyes blurred by pain. He sought the hand which found his much faster, not realizing it was the same nurse who had recently situated Steve and his daughter in the spare examination room.

"Your daughter is with your partner. They're both here and promised to be waiting when you get out of recovery." Blinking furiously against an emotional tide which pulled painfully inside his chest, Danny roughly muttered his thanks. Reluctant to lose the one person who had been with Grace, Danny's eyes closed but he weakly insisted that the nurse follow the gurney, refusing to loosen the hold on her hand as they progressed the short distance down the hallway. Then as the retinue paused for the patient elevators, she was gently untangling their fingers.

"Grace is fine, Detective, and in very good hands. So are you." Seconds later, the nurse was gone and Danny was being rushed to surgery without a modicum of fanfare.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

 

Trading hands after resting in the examination room for just a few short hours, Grace had first left Steve for her Aunt Kono. Tidied up in a woman's rest room, force fed a tasteless dinner in the cafeteria, Kono had then eased Grace to Chin before leaving for the beach to assist Charlie Fong's team if she could. Paying a visit to the crime scene and then going to the labs, Kono had kept the rest of the team up-to-date and they in turn, kept her informed of both Danny's and Mark Paquin's condition. But from that pivotal point and needing to swear that she was truly feeling better, Grace had finally succumbed to Chin's persistent guidance of sitting quietly in the waiting room. Remaining watchful though, Grace was pensive as Steve paced the hallways or softly questioned an available nurse for word on her father.

Now hours later as the sun dropped lower in the sky, Steve stood over Danny's bed in the ICU. In the waiting room, Grace was sprawled across Chin's lap in a deep sleep. Until they knew more, Steve had taken the responsibility of when to contact Rachel Edwards. With so many hours and travel requirements between Hawaii and the mainland, Steve didn't quite see the point in reaching out to the woman only to discuss a great deal of unknowns pending the most current of medical status. Therefore, taking advantage of time zones and pending more information, he waited.

"Danny." Steve's stage-whispered while resting his forearms on the bed's raised bars. After a fairly long and intricate surgery, his partner had finally been moved out of recovery and to the intensive care unit. Though Danny was severely injured, what the primary surgeon had told Steve was short of a miracle. Whether that had happened because of the boy falling or due to the fact that Danny had been positioned on a lower angle and just off center, no one could say for certain.

Mark Paquin's slippery fall had caused the rusted weapon to discharge. It was still a danger much like an old World War II bomb or incendiary device might pose a severe risk. The accident could have been a fatal one of monstrous proportions. With a concussion to boot, Danny was lucky despite his current state, as was the young boy on the other side of the rambling ICU. But Mark Paquin was only lucky because he was still breathing on this own. His fractured skull, whip-lashed neck, and badly bruised deep tissue damage in his back were marred by even more visible cuts and deep gashes requiring stitches and drains.

According to the surgeon, the bullet had entered high on Danny's right side but on a downward, transverse angle to his ribcage. On its course, it had deflected off and broken a rib to lodge low in the soft tissues of his lower back muscle. Those fragments of bone had nicked Danny's right lung which didn't sound very lucky to any one of his friends, yet still the physician was pleased. What was certain was that if the bullet had hit his partner center mass, at such close range, the severity of the wound would have been catastrophic. But it hadn't and thus, Danny had escaped the first worst scenario. His partner had also danced around other medical conditions had the bullet traveled differently which Steve had blandly digested and then discarded as irrelevant. The trauma was still significant, but not what the surgeon had anticipated finding. So for him, he at least was pleasantly surprised that his patient had been so amazingly lucky. While the supposed miracle impressed Doctor Webber, Steve was only learning to be glad _of it._

"You look like shit, Danno." While he was certainly more at ease, what Steve saw now was not pleasing and he could not entirely relax. Regardless of Webber's professional sense of relief, the end result had left Danny in the intensive care unit and with a complicated looking chest tube which extended to a plastic canister positioned below the level of the bed. The supposition was that the natural mechanics of gravity would continue to vent accumulating air and blood from his partner's chest cavity to alleviate the severity of pressure on his lung. Suffering from a concussion and under an obtrusive oxygen mask, Danny was being pumped full of broad spectrum of antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, and pain medications. Adding insult, miscellaneous superficial abrasions and bruises dotted his legs and hands from his aggressive attempts to intercept Mark as he fell.

"Danny." Still resting his forearms on the bars, Steve sighed worriedly. Webber had allowed him in because Danny had stabilized and was due to awaken. Concerned about the nature of the circumstances surrounding the injury, the physician wanted his patient waking to a friendly face.

"Danny. Hey, buddy." Leaning forward, Steve skimmed his hand down Danny's arm ending just above the intravenous ports where a cocktail of strong antibiotics and pain medications were being dispensed.

Like Grace who had finally fallen asleep on Chin's lap, his partner was too quiet despite having roused in the recovery room to the medical staff's satisfaction. His current more prolonged lack of movement now though was something of which neither Danny nor Grace were known to be even remotely like. Now moved to a more permanent location in the ICU, the primary physician, Doctor Pierce Webber, the one whom had orchestrated the exploratory and corrective surgery, expected Danny to waken more alertly. In fact, a few minutes earlier, Doctor Webber had encouraged Steve to attempt some gentle coaching as time dragged on.

"Come on, enough of this. Grace needs to know you're awake and okay before I take her home." He didn't add that he did as well before placing his hand on Danny's right shoulder. Tight-lipped with stress, Steve raised his voice slightly and looked closely for any sign of waking. "Danny, wake up."

Eyes remained stubbornly closed though as occasional breaths fogged the oxygen mask in an off kilter counterbalance to the machine's mechanical soft hissing. Deeply worried by Danny's utter lack of response, Steve sagged against the raised bars of the bed. Unable to hide his black look, the frustrated sigh was audible as he was forced to wait even longer.

 _"_ _Nnn… uhh."_ He jolted though when a gruff throaty noise emanated up through the oxygen mask to compete with the sterile sounds of the ICU. The subtle atmospheric change was palpable as Danny's fingers twitched and then his hand moved across the sheets.

"Danny… hey." Afraid yet to quite offer a smile, Steve leaned closer as he started to speak encouraging words all over again.

_**~ to be continued ~** _


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

 

Enthralled in somnolence, Danny was lulled by an easy warmth and the deep modulation of sound which echoed soothingly over his head. Air circulated peacefully around his nose and mouth; a distant reminder that he once almost couldn't breathe at all. Too tired to think if something still might be wrong, he lay there between a deep sleep and a state of being aware. Unconsciously though, his body fought for a profound breath, one his damaged chest wall was ill-equipped to cope with. His breath stuttered, then stammered helplessly when it was prevented from expanding his lungs comfortably by damaged tissues. In the background of ache, there was an odd gurgling bubbly sensation which was far from pleasant.

 _"Nnn… uhh."_ His weakly voiced complaint was joined by a confused expression regardless of oxygen mask. Wincing as his right lung struggled, his eyes became tightly wedged shut creating furrows stretching the breadth of his forehead.

"Danny… hey, you're okay. Can you hear me?" Steve pushed, encouraged by what seemed to be a sign of a return to consciousness. His free hand thumbed the nurses' call button in earnest as Danny's head tossed painfully on the thin pillow.

The droning tone escalated, increasing in volume and Danny eventually heard it as a voice even though his chest felt as if an anvil had been inserted somewhere between skin and bone. Broken pants fogged the mask erratically and with no small effort, Danny finally managed to pry his eyes open to a hazy unfocused view of blue and black. He cringed and softly groaned as the anvil pressed harder obviously annoyed by his weak attempts at sluggish movement.

 _"Whu..zzz..it?"_  Beneath the mask, Danny's tongue refused to work from heavy doses of prescription drugs which left his mouth painfully dry and his brain a murky place. Blinking furiously, he fought the drugs and the chore it was to utter a few words. As a result, his incomprehensible question came out as a challenging mumbled combination of  _'what happened?'_ and  _'who is it?_ '

"Nice one, but you're fine… things are okay. Take it slow and try not to move." At first worried by the nonsensical sounds of confusion, Steve had to smile as he kept his hand on his partner's shoulder. He could feel the first stirrings of tension coming to the fore as Danny tried to make sense of his predicament. So, Steve simply accepted the initial confusion while he kept things calm. Patiently he waited for his partner to settle and waken even more, beginning again only when true recognition seemed to glimmer across Danny's eyes. "Welcome back, Danno."

The drone solidified into words as did each disconcerting misshapen puzzle-piece of blurred colors to an image strong enough for Danny to recognize as Steve. Without knowing why, Danny relaxed instantly, squinting and blinking as his vision cleared much faster than his ability to think to inquire about what had happened.

"Oh. Hmm…. hey.  _Shh…_ Ste…ve _."_ His sadly slurred croak of recognition transformed the darkly worried face looming over his bed to one of utter happiness as hours of stress nearly evaporated in an instant. But with that faint utterance and ever so slightly, Danny stirred. The resulting fiery ache was strange and he grimaced painfully, tears coming to his eyes causing his confusion to increase.

"What... what?" Unable to clearly speak and wanting to know what had been done to him, Danny felt Steve's hand heavily on his shoulder. The reassuring touch forestalled the ache that seemed to flare again at the tiniest of movements.

"You only got out of surgery a few hours ago. You have to be careful of the chest tube." Steve's explanation was quick, its urgency communicated through the steady pressure resolutely placed on Danny's shoulder.

" ' _kay._ " This time, his whisper was even fainter as he cautiously tried to speak on a series of very shallow exhales. Vaguely, Danny thought he might remember the very same initial warnings from the doctors in the emergency room; he certainly remembered the pain of the tube being inserted. Blinking rapidly, Danny at least tried a tentative smile. "Hey... miss... any... thing?" Four shallow pants communicated his question much to Steve's delight. Though, as discomfort crept across Danny's face, he was back to warning his friend about too much talking.

"Hey yourself. And no, you haven't missed too much. We've all been worried about you." It was finally enough and Steve whispered around a beaming smile as both the attending nurse and Danny's primary physician, Doctor Webber, strode rapidly into the room. "Everything's going to be alright, Danny. Perfectly fine."

Forced to yield, Steve made himself nearly invisible as the two medical professionals worked diligently to assess their patient and his new waking state. Words were softly shared, tubes were checked and the head of the bed carefully raised to a very slight angle. From his corner, Steve blanched in kind as all color drained from Danny's face at the subtle change. The doctor fussed, molly coddled and rechecked not just his patient's briefly fluctuating vitals, but also the chest drain and field of bandages bracing the bullet's wound. Only after finalizing new directions which augmented his already aggressive pain management, was the doctor satisfied enough to beckon Steve to his side.

"He's very weak and plainly needs to rest but he's alert which is key. I've increased his pain medication and must ask that he refrain from speaking to avoid added stresses on his lungs. But in all reality, he will be sleeping often from the analgesics I've prescribed." Rotating his jaw at the obvious nature of the preliminary update, Steve nodded while his eyes turned back towards Danny's already slackened face. "He doesn't quite recall what happened and though he's somewhat confused of those earlier events, I chose not to share too many details just yet. Please keep that in mind."

Pierce Webber, M.D. was tolerant to a fault and presumed nothing from either patient or concerned family member. On the cutting edge of ultra-modern clinical trials, studies and new advances in medicine, he was constantly looking out for his patient's best interests and least invasive methods of care. The doctor also had an almost annoying penchant for stating and restating the obvious  _ad nauseam_ to ensure understanding which served to avoid argument or confusion. His warnings now and regarding sharing details of the shooting were a prelude to his five-minute allowance of permitting the detective's distraught daughter in to the ICU for a short visit. In his opinion, certain hospital rules benefited from being stretched at particular intervals, and this was undoubtedly one of those rare occurrences. The far-reaching effects of the terrible accident touched nearly every member in the community; something of which, Webber and hospital administration were keenly sensitive to as they cared for those injured in its aftermath.

"Commander, it's not necessary to discuss what occurred earlier today unless he asks. But be cautious because your partner needs to remain completely calm. I'm not concerned about the lapse in memory and anticipate its return as his awareness increases." Webber was having a difficult time explaining his true concerns. His assumption regarding the depth of the officer's caring nature for a child was quite sound though and Steve easily completed the thought. With the critical nature of Mark's condition, Danny simply wasn't going to be ready to cope or digest that truth in a healthy manner. Unsure but sensing how Danny might react, he clearly understood the rationale behind the doctor's wise forewarning.

"Danny's going to want to know, Doc. He's going to take this hard. So yeah, thanks I appreciate the warning." Scrubbing his fingers through his hair, Steve nodded though he knew Webber had more to say. The shocking news of a youngster finding a 9MM handgun during a rather sedate beach cleanup day was all over the news by that time. Everyone was literally bowled over by what had happened, including the hospital staff. With the nature of his own very serious condition, the need to keep Danny quiet took immediate precedence. Once his partner recalled what had happened, he'd be as tenacious as a bear despite and in direct conflict of his own health.

"Good because you need to explain this to the rest of your team and to the detective's daughter. Kid gloves, Commander." The two woefully injured victims were housed under the physician's fine thumb and Webber knew the families required consolation. As the ill detective whispered the simple question inquiring after his young daughter's welfare, the doctor had begun to mentally stretch one ICU ruling regarding age restrictions.

"He's asking for his daughter and I'd like you to bring her in." Steve's head whirled back to the doctor to give him his purely undivided attention. "Five minutes, Commander. Can she handle this and be trusted not to mention a word about those  _details_?"

"Yeah, she can. Grace is mature… she'll get it, Doc. Thank you." Steve was quick to agree as Webber hushed the final word barely under his breath. He grinned as Webber nodded towards the bed before leaving the room.

"Hey, Danno." Leaning back over the bed precisely where he had been earlier, Steve watched Danny's eyes which were fluttering vainly against gravity.

"Doc… said," Danny's attempt at speaking was shushed rapidly as Steve grasped his forearm in stern warning. The airy cough substantiated Webber's cautionary advice as talking drew on shallow reserves of breath which Danny could ill-afford to expend. The resulting flux of pain from the chest tube was hot on its heels and Danny virtually gritted his teeth as it lessened to a lower burn.

"Shhh, I know. I'll get her if you can stay awake, Danno." Steve chuffed softly under his breath when the tiny lopsided grin preceded the sketchiest of nods. His partner's eyes were closing but Steve would bet his life that it was only to build the few minutes of reserves needed to see Grace. "He also said no talking… but hang in and I'll be right back."

Bolting from the room as quietly as possible, Steve jogged stealthily down the hallway and out to the waiting room. Curled up on Chin's lap, she barely fit in his arms. Steve smirked as he realized her long slender legs were lengthening almost weekly. For what looked like an uncomfortable position though, Grace was still sleeping as Steve dropped to his knees next to them.

"He's awake and asking for someone special." Daring to smile, Steve murmured upwards to Chin who tiredly grinned in return. Ever so gently, Steve rubbed Grace's arm to wake her without frightening her from the sound sleep. He frowned when her forehead pinched uncomfortably while still in her doze, wondering if she might have fibbed about how well she was feeling.

"Gracie. Wake up, sweetheart." He smiled warmly as initially unfocused eyes met his own morphing through a variety of emotions on the way to fully coming awake. Before she could land on terrified, Steve held his hands out so that Grace would better understand. "Danno wants to see you."

"He's awake?" Glassy-eyed from strain and exhaustion, Grace's lip trembled as she took Steve's hand and he helped unfold her from Chin's lap. Steve was smiling but watching her closely, as if he could see the headache coming back to grasp the base of her skull once more and unhappily teasing her forehead. Gently, he tipped her chin upwards and pursed his lips to see eyes that were a bit too haunted for his liking. His expression was one of a knowing patience, yet clearly disapproving of her attempted deflection.

"He is, but you have to be brave and not cry because Danno's going to worry if you look sad; plus he's not supposed to talk too much." Steve quickly knelt back down, surprised when he almost wound up looking up into her face instead of eye to eye as he'd half-expected. Grace was growing up in spades whether any of them liked it or not and it made his smile deepen. "Are you okay, Gracie? I can tell you don't feel well and you aren't going to help either yourself or Danno if you get sick. If you aren't up to it, you can visit tomorrow."

"I know, but I'm good." Firmly wiping her face in her sleeve and stuffing her emotions down into her stomach, Grace freed her hands to finger comb her hair only to wrench it into a harsh ponytail. She didn't feel well and Uncle Steve knew, but she was determined to see her father if just for a few minutes.

"I'd like to see Danno. Please." Forcing the tremble to leave her lips, Grace swallowed hard. His supportive nod made her tentatively smile as she gratefully took his hand again.

"Okay but a few more things, Grace." Steve tugged her back before they reached the ICU's doors. His assessment was entirely correct that Grace was indeed mature enough to understand the implications of Webber's medical advice.

"Danno's really tired and he may fall asleep. The doctor said that would be normal and he needs all the sleep which he can get right now. But he also said not to talk about what happened today… at least, not yet. Danno doesn't quite remember all of it and the doctor wants him to stay calm. So we need to be careful and make sure that we don't mention Mark or the gun or anything about the beach, alright? If he asks, I'll take care of it."

Narrowing her eyes much like her father might when mulling evidence, Grace slowly nodded. She might not be able to put everything into words but she did think she understood what Steve meant about being careful because she knew her father's appetite for dwelling and worry. Evidently, that penchant for negative brooding was something Doctor Webber also recognized in his anxious patient. "Okay. Danno's… not… ready. He's not ready because he doesn't feel well."

"That's my girl." Her reward was a hug and warm kiss on the top of her head. His approval made her smile bravely, wiping some of her fears to the side as their hands swung gently together. "Exactly. Now let's go."

_**~ to be continued ~** _


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

****H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O*** **

 

 

Danny almost non-emotionally gave partial consideration as to precisely  _why_  he might be bedridden. Of course he knew he'd been shot; what was evading him was the why and how. These things he thought he should know but was woefully unable to define. A dull ache persistently drilled into the base of his skull with each shallow inhale which managed to pull on his tender chest wall. These sickly physical feelings made thinking too hard and even painful. However, a certain more wakeful portion of his being seemed to anticipate waking in a hospital. Of that dim recognition, Danny incorporated a glimmer of amusement with himself which faded just as quickly. That same tiny segment teased an odd unsettling troubling feeling of something being off with his immediate universe. It was a more emotional sense of  _wrongness_  in which he was indeed missing something of great importance.

Yet Steve was there. And Danny's own feeble request about Grace was also granted. So Grace was also present in the hospital and obviously fine, however she was mysteriously part of the equation. The murky thoughts were incomplete at best and in spite of that, almost enough to quiet some of the anxiety lurking deeply in his bones. These confusing mixed messages did nothing to entirely calm a mind blurred by injury and drugs though, and he warred internally in an attempt to dredge up the reasons behind uneasy feelings. For all of that effort, Danny was unable to truly conquer his wayward hold on concentration. Flitting from vague thought to a blurry impression, he was more dreaming without an actual working sense of time or space.

"Danny," Steve's whisper cracked quietly through his drowsy reverie of half musings. The gentle nudge on his shoulder roused him even more until he stared stupidly for a moment at the grinning face.

"Hmm? What?" The soft questioning exhale of sound was incredibly soft and Steve chuffed a knowingly amused noise before replying. His partner had dozed off and nearly forgotten the promise of a visit.

"Grace. Grace is here to see you." As one side of the hospital bed's rail was lowered, Danny's expression changed proving he remembered that at least.

"Hey … Monkey," clearing his throat wearily and stumbling over her fond nickname, Danny grimaced as a scratchy cough threatened his breathing. He nodded once with a soundless exhale when his own daughter leveled a critical eye to remind him of what the doctor had espoused.

"You aren't supposed to talk, Danno!" Grace's voice was a sweet counterpoint to Steve's deeper bass tones and Danny was wholly unable to prevent the one-sided quirk from becoming a smile.

"Yeah." Unconsciously, Danny responded by forcing out another short spurt of air. Decidedly, that too was a mistake as Grace rolled her eyes towards the ceiling in despair. But her reaction left him grinning.

"Danno! Shhh!" She scolded him then, while simultaneously and very carefully hoisting herself onto the mattress. His subsequent attempt at communicating was also thwarted as a final and very feeble huffed sound of acknowledgement drew on damaged internal tissues. Blearily, Danny flopped a hand to signal defeat before searching out Grace's fingers.

"Shhh! Uncle Steve says that we can only stay for a few minutes." She was studying him as carefully as he was her and behind the two, Steve inhaled the scene while standing sentry. Things were more happily complete and inch by obstinate inch, the rest of his own tension was put to rest. As Steve watched, from his thumb first, Grace was running her fingers over each of Danny's knuckles and apparently mentally counting to five. At the end of his hand, she would return to the thumb seemingly absorbed in just being able to finally see her father.

"Doctor Webber is really nice. Uncle Chin didn't think we'd be able to see you. He didn't think I'd be able to see you, but Doctor Webber said it was okay for just a little while." Grace paused, staring at Danny as if making sure he was fine. In silent reply to the unspoken question, Danny clumsily rubbed her arm before retrieving her nervous fingers.

One-handed once more, Grace anxiously pulled her ponytail over her shoulder to wend and tug through the worse of its tangles. Glancing towards Steve for guidance, she didn't know what to say next. Tears pricked warningly at the corners of her eyes because their weekend was now essentially ruined. Danno was hurt and sick, as was her classmate Mark, and now everything had come crashing down at a startling rate.

"Danno." Grace felt her face beginning to flush in earnest and she was useless at stopping it from happening. She had promised not to cry and was failing miserably as she felt a lone hot tear escape. As if attached to that droplet, her head began to pound in rhythm to her heartbeat and she sniffled vainly into her arm.

"Oh boy," Steve sighed inaudibly before quickly striding to the bed in order to intervene. Danny's fingers had stilled in Grace's hand while his former smile had already fled his face. Instead, his brow was beginning to furrow in deep consternation.

"It's alright, Gracie." Quickly, Steve thumbed the stray tear from Grace's face. She felt hot under his hand and was looking at him with a frightened apology lurking in her brown eyes. "It's been a really long day for you…for both of you."

"I know," Grace admitted softly, thankful for his quick thinking which was actually a statement of fact. Taking a deep breath and wincing as her head thrummed painfully, she tried to smile once more but was worried with how Danno was looking so carefully at her. Recovering from her near miss, she was watching him too and still at a loss for finding another topic of discussion, as dull as it might be. Making matters worse, Grace also knew that her five minutes were nearly up. "I'm going to stay with Uncle Steve and then we can come back tomorrow to see you."

There was a brief silence as they sat quietly together, one watching the other. It was Grace who noticed the subtle change first, glancing once to Steve in askance.

"Danno?" She was about to ask if he was tired when Danny's eyes blinked once and then twice in confusion. He suddenly didn't seem to be paying attention to her and the change was disconcerting and almost frightening. "Uncle Steve, is something wrong?"

"I think Danno needs to sleep now, Gracie." Steve was about to say more when he also realized that Danny wasn't truly looking at Grace's face. His attention had diverted to the worn t-shirt. The once white beach cleanup volunteer t-shirt now stained by sand, saltwater and tears. And even if his partner couldn't exactly read the half-moon inscription by that point, he certainly seemed to be finding a meaning in the orange logo. The look of confusion intensified as his partner virtually drilled a hole through the material in deep thought, willing his brain to remember.

"Hey, Danny." To break the unhealthy spell, Steve motioned Grace from the bed to interpose himself once more. For a moment, nothing happened and Steve scowled until his partner blinked four and then five times to finally shake himself back to the present to stare mutely up into his face.

"Time's up and Grace has to say goodnight. Chin's outside and he'll watch Grace so I can come back." It was almost rude to not answer the imploring expression partly concealed by oxygen mask and haloed by a pale complexion. Steve knew that he'd have to disobey Webber's orders, but not with Grace present.

"Hey, listen," soothingly, he bent over the bed and took Danny's arm to communicate that purposeful message. "Stop. Don't think so hard. Let me get Grace settled with Chin for a few minutes and I'll be back to explain a few things."

Steve waited meaningfully for his intent to sink in, relieved when Danny managed a small thumb's up signal. Despite the brooding state of alarm creeping across his face, his eyes were fluttering wildly though as physical woes battled in earnest.

"Get some rest. I'll be right back." With any luck though, his partner would be sleeping by the time he returned. If not, Steve would craftily manage just enough of the truth to quiet his partner's budding anxieties.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

 

Eyes burning and struggling against a body-wide weakness that resided in his very bones, Danny watched Steve and Grace leave the hospital room. Then he had no choice as his eyes closed of their own accord, yet he remained stubbornly awake despite the onset of a drilling headache of pressure which leaked into his neck and upper muscles of his shoulders. It indicated a growing stress and a deep tension from feelings that were not so buried after the sight of a logo'd t-shirt. Behind closed lids, he forced his mind to think back and to remember snippets of conversations and abstract colors. He grimaced at one in particular which came with an annoying, heavily made-up female face rimmed in darkly curled hair.

 _"…today would be perfect. Don't you think?"_ The distasteful image faded as quickly as it had come. Barely a rustle of a leaf in the wind to be replaced entirely by blue, a flash of stark white and glimmering sunshine.

 _Grace sitting, legs splayed and looking on in shock after she had called to him._ His face scrunched even more as he remembered one word perhaps a little too clearly.

 _"Gun," w_ hispered dangerously in his ear and wholly in his daughter's voice.  _"Danno, they found a gun. A real gun."_

The reverberating memory of sound slammed into his mind's eye accompanied by the sunlit silhouette of a small body falling. The sound was all too familiar and he recognized it instantly without needing to actually think. He knew it was a gunshot. In direct real-time response, Danny's body tensed abruptly in the bed enough for him to feel the tender lump on the back of his head. He definitely felt the chest tube and other restrictive unpleasant catheters and lines as his eyes sprung open. It was an unfortunate reminder not to move as he was pulled by an intense memory.

 _There had been a gun and he'd been shot._  It was why he was in the hospital. But something else, too.  _Grace had been there; along with two boys. One was named Mark, of that he was now certain. What had happened had occurred at the beach ... during the school cleanup event. Orange t-shirts ... just like the one his daughter was still wearing._

"Two … boys." He spoke it aloud and to no one at all while staring almost blindly up at the ceiling. "Two?" Yet, as muffled as his voice was, it was clearly understandable. Though based on his tone, he clearly doubted himself. "Maybe ... two."

"Yeah, there were two boys. But you got one to safety before things went a bit sideways. It was an accident, Danno." Steve's careful confirmation came from his left shoulder and Danny turned his head in surprise. Lost in a sleepy daze and then in fractured memories, he hadn't realized Steve had returned so quickly. Even through badly blurred vision, Danny swore that Steve was disappointed to find him awake. Displeased even that he tried to talk against doctor's orders and nearly distressed that he'd remembered that one very critical point.

"Is he … dead?" Each syllable was carefully pushed out on shallow exhales. The result was an unfortunate dry cough which left Danny grimacing and his face pinched in discomfort.

"No. No, but he's hurt pretty bad." Steve's tone bordered a certain severity which he clarified the reason for in case Danny had forgotten another very important and more recent fact. Tapping his own lips with one finger, Steve shook his head in reprimand. "Stop talking like Webber said and I'll fill you in. Then my friend, you are going to sleep and I'm taking Grace to my place to do exactly the same thing."

If he hadn't seen Grace with his very own eyes, Danny never would have relaxed after hearing the brief confirming updates. His silent but very thankful reply was communicated by a short nod, followed then with an obedient smile. Things might be bad, but they were under control and Grace was in good hands. The only person who would know this would be Steve and Danny watched as the stiffly watchful posture changed, shifted and morphed entirely into something less intense.

"I'm glad to have her. You know that." Smiling in return, Steve leaned comfortably on the bed rail after lifting it to a proper height. He watched Danny closely while explaining that it was Chin who had been tasked as the initial liaison between HPD, distraught parents and frightened children. Weeding out the exaggerated from the more valid accounts, he and HPD had settled on two credible witnesses. Selecting particular details and editing others, Steve briefly recounted what he'd subsequently been told.

"According to the two closest adults, the weapon went off as Mark lost his balance on the rocks. But when he fell, he went off completely backwards and hit his head." Steve slowed his pace as Danny winced uncomfortably. Not wanting to continue and refusing to ask a single question of his partner, Steve sighed heavily before taking over to share just enough of the remaining information as shared by the best witnesses. "He fractured his skull and is going to be in the ICU for a few days. His parents are here and he's resting comfortably just a few doors down."

It was clear that Danny didn't remember his own perspective of the particulars; not quite yet and it bothered him. Eyes blinked and then squinted deeply in vain as he fought the black hole which swallowed those memories in their entirety.

"Danny, stop." Steve sighed as Danny's left hand idly tossed a few inches off the bed. "Stop. It's not a big deal." Steve shook his head in awe as his partner fought a sluggish mind which seemed to come to a screeching halt well before the near tragic final events played out. Danny was frustrated and his breathing had altered with the attempts; pulling on his fresh wound and aggravating its ache. In terms of follow up work, forensics would need a few days or up to even a few weeks to determine where the gun might have come from and if it had ever been used in a crime. These were procedural things of which Danny would innately know and so Steve paused again.

"That's enough. If I have to order you to stop thinking, I will," growling under his breath, Steve was insistent. The dry warning along with a sternly raised finger managed to distract Danny enough, too. Long enough for him to give in with an agreeable murmur of sound, especially after his daughter's welfare was brought into the mix. "Danny, you need to rest now. I need to get Grace home. She's exhausted and should eat something better than hospital food."

There was really nothing of value left to discuss and intentionally, Steve was skipping over those larger facts affecting Grace. She had witnessed the entire exchange from start to finish. And despite being protected by Duke Lukela and as evidenced by her headache, she had seen and heard enough to be frightened.

"Do you need anything?" The question indicated an official end to the one-sided conversation. But it was voiced with a genuine concern because the squint of Danny's eyes was so blatantly obvious. Alarmed by a growing array of physical changes, Steve was already reaching for the call button.

In short, his partner was in pain.

"Headache. Chest." Just loud enough to combat the obtrusive oxygen mask and not pull too badly on his chest, Danny disobeyed the enforced no talking rule one final time. He could literally feel the tight stitches holding the chest tube from inadvertent movement. Then there was the ache of his right lung with each shallow inhale he was forced to take because a deeper breath was simply too painful.

Danny closed his eyes tiredly, yet his brow remained tensely furrowed. The concussive headache had worsened and he swallowed convulsively against a new rising tide of nausea. Of all things, that was now the worst because he couldn't fathom vomiting in his condition. Unable to help himself as a wave of utter exhaustion swept over him, he murmured plaintively just one last time as sweat broke out across his forehead. "Sick."

"It's covered, Danno." He knew then that Steve had either rung the station or was even now leaving the room to get someone's undivided attention; maybe even both things were taking place simultaneously. Regardless of what his friend had done, only moments later the activity increased around the bed. And Danny, too sick to care and having faith that his daughter was indeed in the most excellent of hands, once more simply allowed those who were caring for him to do their job.

_**~ to be continued ~** _


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

 

"Is Danno really going to be okay?" Putting stress into just the right word, Grace pensively stared at Steve from the passenger seat in his truck. Now mostly wide awake but grimacing from a very real headache, she had politely declined his suggestion of getting a quick bite to eat.

"He really is, Grace." Steve's glance proved she was entirely serious and in no mood for anything but the straight truth. "When I left he was sleeping." His simple response was not going to cut it this time though, yet he didn't quite know why. What he did read in her expression was a desire to dredge as much information from him as possible. Still, her next questions which were more like accusations, completely threw him for a loop and he found himself shaking his head in bewilderment.

"He remembered the accident, didn't he? When you went back in, Danno told you about Sammi and Mark. Didn't he?" Despite not feeling well, Grace was adamant and her tone was laced with a concern dosed with a significant amount of anger. After being deposited back in the waiting room, it hadn't taken her much to realize what her father had been looking at. Her filthy t-shirt was the biggest clue and now she picked at the troublesome orange logo. "Did it make him sicker? Is he really, truly going to be okay? What did Doctor Webber say?"

Running his hand over his face, Steve settled it for a moment in his hair before looking almost warily back towards her. He had remained in the hospital room as Webber gently evaluated Danny's vital signs and prescribed an anti-emetic to counter the nausea. He had stayed quietly in the corner until the stress and pain had left his partner's wan face.

"Grace." With all the skills of her father, Grace was determined to hear every detail of that as well. At first exasperated by her tenacity, his unbidden spontaneous response simply changed into a huge smile; one full of awe that even bordered on pride. "Grace Williams, whatever am I going to do with you?"

Unable to put a halt to his pleased chuckle, Steve grinned as Grace's mouth gaped then slammed shut. She stared at him, dumbfounded by the unexpected comment not quite knowing how to reply. Steve took the opportunity to inform her of what was going to be happening for the next many hours as her father quietly recovered his stamina in the intensive care unit. Pointing to her and then to himself, Steve focused back on the road while he provided an ultimatum of sorts. "You and I are going out to eat before we go to my place. The only agenda item remaining is bed, young lady. That nice nurse gave me another dose of children's headache medication just in case. Ergo, you're taking it and my orders are that you sleep yourself out. Any questions?"

"No." Duly chastised and making a face at his chosen wording, Grace couldn't help staring at Steve as the lights from overhead street lamps flickered by in the dark. Every so often, she'd wince when one seemed too bright. Unused to taking such brisk orders from her Uncle Steve, Grace at first didn't know what to think of things. She wasn't particularly hungry and didn't exactly want to go to sleep, but he'd certainly put his foot down as he eased off the gas pedal to coast into the closest diner. The neon lights were brighter yet and one flickered in an annoying off-pattern which made her stomach queasy all over again.

"How's breakfast for dinner?" Switching off the ignition, Steve leaned back, measuring her general demeanor. He wasn't at all surprised to see the internal obstinate war being waged as she struggled to find something to say. It was plain to see that his battles were going to be minute by minute and task by task. The first obstacle being eviction from the truck, followed by what would likely be a series of refusals regarding what to eat or even not eat. Mentally considering all of those things which could become an argument, Steve adapted on the fly to take all decision from her hands.

Peevishly lost in thought, Grace was startled when the passenger door opened and Steve appeared to gently pull her from the truck. Before she could say a thing about not being able to eat, they were already marching towards the main entrance. With no choices, her negative words smoldered away as he virtually tugged her through the front doors and to the nearest available booth.

"Pancakes; two short stacks. Juice or milk? Milk sounds good this late at night. Coffee for me, just because I can. And?" There was a pause as mental wheels churned. "And, two bowls of mixed fruit." Speaking quickly, Steve smiled pleasantly to the waitress as she took their order. An order of which Grace had zero say whatsoever. Biting her lip, Grace was forced to sit like a speechless lump as the eager waitress simply wrote down whatever Steve aimed her way.

"I'm not hungry you know," Grace started her complaint, instantly quieting when a glass of milk was placed in front of her fingers. She waited for the woman to leave before continuing but Steve's entire pleasant attitude had changed as soon as she started up again. "Uncle Steve, I don't want to eat."

"You know what, Grace?" Arms folded sternly across his chest, he was no longer smiling. "I promised Danno that you would eat real food and get a good night's sleep." Though his voice was conversational, Steve was deathly serious. Using her father as the impetus wasn't even the wrong thing to do and Grace knew that, too. "You don't have to eat it all, Gracie. Just try some and then take the meds for me."

Her Uncle Steve's tone softened towards the end as he handed her the small tablet, insisting that she take it with the milk. He was not only worried about her father, but for her as well. Dropping her eyes to the table with a sad expression, Grace fiddled with the medicine before doing as she was told. After, she studiously focused on eating as much of the food as she could muster, even surprised herself when she finished almost the entire plate. Oddly, a full stomach quieted her fretful mind and the medicine slowly took away the majority of the throbbing in her skull. From that point on, she barely remembered the truck drive home or being handed a clean t-shirt that flowed beyond her knees.

Slowly drawing in a lungful of air, Steve stood in the doorway to his spare bedroom just watching Grace. She'd fallen asleep virtually standing up in the bathroom while brushing her hair out and he'd wound up carrying her to bed. He was drained beyond all belief, leaving him astonished by Grace's sturdy wherewithal to keep going for so long. Eyes closed and with a smile just touching her lips, he had tucked her into bed. After being kissed goodnight, she managed to express the softest of sentiments before falling asleep. "I love you, Uncle Steve."

Not wanting to move, Steve stood there for a long time, content to watch her sleep and replaying what she had whispered so quietly.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

 

Grace woke the next morning at first confused as to where she was. But she remembered as soon as she heard Steve's voice from down the hallway. It sounded as if he was on the phone talking to Uncle Chin or even Doctor Webber as she picked out a few words here and there. Stretching long, she heard a soft rain falling outside but was relieved that her headache was gone.

"Doctor  _Webber_!" That was when she remembered everything else and bolted from the bed, shedding blankets and sending pillows to the floor. Skidding barefoot into the kitchen, her eyes were wide. As she thought, he was on the phone with coffee mug in hand. He smiled as soon as she appeared, waggling the phone in her direction with a happy grin. "Uncle Steve!"

"Yes, Danno's doing great and we're going after breakfast. We were stuck on clothing options for you so I washed your things and put them in the bathroom." Steve chuckled as he needed to raise his voice when she disappeared before he could finish, thudding down the hardwood floors the way she had come. With a laughed out snort, he resumed speaking to Webber perfectly relaxed as he listened to the update regarding his partner's pleasing status.

The two left within the hour, excited that Danny had a decent evening and was improving at a steady pace. However, their entrance to the intensive care unit was nothing short of shocking. Outside the main doors and just within the waiting room, an argument was in full swing causing Steve to rock to a total halt

"Hold on, Grace," he murmured quietly as he cautiously absorbed the startling scene.

"He let my Mark fall. He didn't even try to help him!" A well-dressed woman shouted angrily at a very familiar man. Steve breathed in sharply, stunned by the surprising altercation. "My son may never wake up or walk again. And you're asking me how I am? How my Mark is doing?"

The man bring dressed down was none other than Duke Lukela, thwarted verbally at all turns by the sharp-tongued woman. Behind her, a male facsimile stood tall and threatening in every way imaginable. There was no doubt that the irate woman on the verge of implosion was Mark Paquin's mother and the man looming behind her, his father.

"How dare you! Your Detective is directly responsible for Mark's condition!" Face reddened by emotion, she jerked away from the HPD officer's calming hand. Tears trickled down her face as she heaved in choked whistling breaths of air.

"Mrs. Paquin, I know you are very upset but that's not what happened," Duke attempted to quiet the distraught parents to no avail. With a dawning realization each eyed the two new arrivals but this time, Mr. Paquin cut the Sergeant off with a sharp wave.

Stepping forward to stand shoulder to shoulder with his wife, Mr. Paquin nearly snarled his retort with mere inches of space to spare between himself and the HPD officer. "It's precisely what happened. Detective Williams didn't do a damned thing to help Mark. And neither did any of you; my wife told me how she had to pull my son from the water herself. She's the one who gave him CPR while you only helped him and not an innocent 12-year-old child!"

For a long moment, no one said a word but Mrs. Paquin gazed so menacingly at Grace, that Steve protectively draped his hand over her shoulder. Pulling Grace closer to his side, he straightened his shoulders with authority, daring the couple to continue down their path.

"What exactly do you think you're trying to do? This is not the time nor the place … and from what I just overheard, you are very badly mistaken." Steve's voice was dangerously low as he cocked his head meaningfully down towards Grace. However, if he had expected a modicum of empathy, he found himself sorely mistaken.

"He's your partner, yes?" Mrs. Paquin seethed her rude question towards Steve. Eyes narrowed in warning, Steve merely gave a curt nod as way of reply. He listened as Mark's mother channeled a disgusted sound through her lips, one mimicked by a snide look from her husband. Both reeked of disdain and a complete lack of respect. "He's negligent and is the only reason Mark is in a hospital bed... In a coma. He didn't try to do a single thing to save him. Nothing!"

"Hey, now wait one minute." Steve's tone was too quiet. Much too darkly precarious, but only the Paquins didn't notice as Duke stood closer to place cautionary fingers on Steve's shoulder. In his own controlled sense of rage, Steve's pupils were blown wide as Mrs. Paquin rounded on him instead of Sargeant Lukela with her stalwart husband by her side. He scarcely felt Grace tucking herself more firmly to his side.

"After getting Sammi to safety and keeping innocent bystanders out of harm's way, Detective Williams tried to talk sense into Mark and he was nearly killed doing just that!" Incredulous of the nature of the discussion, Steve fought to keep his voice in control. He was astounded though by their vindictiveness.

"Sure, that troublemaker Sammi and his own kid," Mr. Paquin growled out, the sneer evident not only in his words but streaked across his face. "You weren't even there!"

"I was the only one with Mark," Mrs. Paquin added, touching her own chest firmly to expound upon her point with vehemence. "I went into the water after my own son while the only one getting medical attention was him."

Gesturing towards the ICU, it was clear whom Mark's mother meant as she spat the words out with a bitter vindictiveness. "Our lawyer will be in touch with you. All of you!"

"That's not what happened." Duke's own sense of proprietary became kindling and the embers flamed to squash his normal civility as even more of his men were verbally attacked. His own HPD partner had assisted the mother during the rescue, taking the boy from her arms to gain the beach and initiate triage. Her lies were making no sense and Duke was soon on the verge of losing his own soundly ingrained control. "What are you after? Detective Williams nearly had Mark to safety and your son simply fell. It was a terrible accident!"

"Accident?" Jabbing the air wildly in the direction of Danny's hospital room, she wound up staring in hatred directly into Grace's face, nastily pleased when she recoiled in fear "This is your damned father's fault for not trying to save my boy. His fault! I should have known you were all going to stick together!"

Steve was enraged, needing to move aside as Mr. and Mrs. Paquin viciously whipped past them in heated anger. The whirlpool of tangible emotions left Grace wobbling in place. She felt like the floor was moving in an undulating wave as the air condensed to suffocate her. Above her head, Sergeant Lukela was apologizing for being unaware of the predicament; upset and mystified by what had just gone down within the hospital's corridors. Vaguely, she heard him apologizing profusely for accidentally allowing her… Grace… to be subjected to Mrs. Paquin's verbal threats.

"That's not true," she mouthed the words, then shook her head to clear the dizzying cobwebs as painful tears swelled up in her eyes. Staring straight ahead and fighting the sensation of having the cold white linoleum swallow her whole, she listed to the left before regaining her balance.

"It didn't happen like that," her faint whisper recoiling up from just below Steve's elbow and yet, he heard her clearly. "She's wrong. Why is she lying?"

"Grace?" Steve felt the vibration through his hand then, kneeling immediately in front of her to take her by the shoulders. She was clearly upset but staring through him as a reddened flush covered her face and neck.

"Is she okay?" Bending down, Duke scowled protectively at the vacant expression as a tear escaped to trickle down Grace's cheek. Completely out of character for scarcely knowing the Paquin family, the Sergeant stood and stalked away while muttering angrily in search of cold water. "That damned woman."

"Gracie? Hey, look at me." The truth was that Gracie was scaring him and Steve found himself giving her a little shake. It took longer than he would have liked to get her eyes locked back on him and his anger grew exponentially for what she'd been forced to witness.

"Grace, it's okay. Things are going to be alright." Blindly, he reached for the paper cup Duke quickly returned with, forcing her to take small sips until she could focus a bit more. He wanted to tell her that Mark's parents were wrong and simply very upset for their son, but he wasn't able to even consider forgiving them. With an intrigued sniff though, Steve realized that Grace was bordering on an anger that could rival his own, she simply wasn't sure how to channel it.

"It's not true. Danno tried and Mark wouldn't listen at first. When he wanted to do what Danno said, Mark slipped and fell. It made the gun go off." Sounding hollow even to herself, Grace felt the hallway shift and move again despite the cooling water. She felt angry and betrayed by complete strangers and her lip trembled again as her voice rose defensively. Her eyes were dark with tears but she was very adamant. "Danno did, Uncle Steve. I swear."

"I know he did. We all do," Steve easily agreed. Her eyes were large, swimming deeply with more tears and yet her chin was stubbornly set. For a minute, he didn't know what to do as she virtually glared defiantly back at him. Stowing his own temper for her sake, Steve catalogued the fisted hands and the beginnings of a nervous fidget. He very well couldn't allow his partner to see his daughter so wound up and on such an emotional edge; they read each other like open books. Plus, Grace was now almost vibrating in place as her anger with the Paquins replaced any residual feelings of fear.  **  
**

"Come on, Grace. I need to clear my head before we see Danno." Purposefully holding his hand out for her to voluntarily take, Steve glanced once towards Duke who also seemed faintly amused. "I need to take a quick walk; keep me company?" With all the skill he sometimes needed to muster for his partner, Steve chuffed softly because down to Grace's dramatically aggrieved temperamental sigh, certain things were mirror images.

_**~ to be continued ~** _


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the wonderful, generous feedback on this story. I really appreciate it!

**Chapter Ten**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

 

Sitting upright in the side chair near his hospital bed, Danny stoically breathed in a set rhythm. Strategically placed pillows lined his back and supported his left side; the side not sporting the chest tube and drain. He breathed calmly in and then out, entirely through his nose and with his eyes closed in studious concentration. If he did it just right, the rhythm minimized the annoying pull and internal harsh grind in what Webber described as the pleural space. Resentful of learning a bit too much about his body's anatomy, Danny made a disagreeable face, feeling the itch of the nasal cannula for still required oxygen. It had been nothing short of a production to move from bed to side chair. Dealing with the exhaustion was one thing, but then the niggling pain and sharp pang of discomfort caused by the tube moving against said pleura was difficult; almost more than punishing in its fiery ache when he also couldn't straighten his back from a hunched position.

He'd made it though. Panting, swearing under his breath, he accomplished the daunting task as his nurse and an aide assisted him inch by inglorious inch to the chair. Then he had to shuffle-turn and take on the formidable task of bending his knees to sit. Peeking now through partially opened eyes, Danny glared at the tube which disappeared under his gown, understanding that it was embedded in his body. The other end terminated in a water-filled, clear plastic canister placed carefully onto the floor next to him where gravity allowed accumulating blood and leaking air to drain from his pleural cavity. Danny had been told the worst of it was already resolving itself, but the disconcerting bubbles which rose up through the water each time he coughed or tried to take a deeper lungful of air was disturbing to say the least. The strange implement was essentially saving his life, yet he could barely look at it. He was not impressed at the near-future concept of even walking with the contraption in tow until a CAT scan or an ultra-sound proved that the hemopneumothorax had resolved itself.

"How are you doing? Not too tired?" His doting nurse was never far, especially with this being the very first venture out of bed. In fact, in attempt to cater to his comfort, an aide had already neatly fixed clean bedding and plumped the sad excuse for a pillow.

"Fine." Pumped with analgesics to combat the pain, Danny squinted at the nurse. His oxygen saturation was still not entirely optimal and between the various tubes or intravenous lines either wending their way into his body or touching him in some way, he was essentially tethered in place. However, other than home, he had no real desire to go any place in particular at that very moment.

"Do you think you can manage another fifteen minutes in the chair?" she asked. Waiting patiently for his reply and judging his complexion with a well-trained eye, she patted his arm before leaving him alone.

"Sure ... yeah." Hesitating slightly, Danny nodded with a glance towards the clock before closing his eyes again in concentration. He'd expected Steve and Grace to have arrived, yet they hadn't shown up. Now sitting upright in a chair and feeling mostly pleased with himself, Danny hoped to stay that way. But he was admittedly tired and the pain medication to accomplish the task only exacerbated his desire to sleep. Minutes later, his attempts at concentration had turned into an easy doze of sorts lulled by the sounds of light footsteps, soft speech and mechanical hums.

Eventually though, Danny roused to noises closer to his ear; nearer to where he was sitting and his head jerked off his chest before his eyes managed to open. Quietly unpacking a plastic shopping bag, Grace was using his bed as a counter of sorts. Standing just behind her, but looking steadily at him as he woke, was Steve.

"Hey, buddy. How are you feeling? We didn't expect to find you out of bed." Pleasantly surprised, Steve smiled as he tugged once on Grace's ponytail at the same time. "He's awake."

"Danno. You're sitting up already!" Her exultant observation left no time for Danny to reply as her head whirled around, eyes shining with happiness. Abandoning her bag of prizes, Grace's smile lit her features as she carefully gave him a lop-sided hug and kiss. "You are better. Doctor Webber said you were when Uncle Steve called ... maybe you can come home soon."

"Soon. Hopefully, very soon." Stifling a yawn, Danny's reply ended with a wry grin. "I thought you guys would come a bit earlier?" He would have a number of added trials to endure before being discharged; though it was obvious that his doctor was indeed quite happy that morning. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the nurse once more checking in on him from the doorway. His fifteen minutes were nearly up and he'd slept right through the majority of them. With his anticipated guests now in the room, Danny didn't want to disrupt the visit nor did he relish the concept of moving back to the bed. However, his wounded body consorted with strong medication to dictate otherwise.

"Well ..." picking at the new blue shirt Grace was wearing and then pointing to the plastic bag, Steve shrugged. "We were here on time, but then we made a spontaneous side trip to the lobby gift shoppe. Grace needed a new shirt or two and then we splurged on reading material. Not to mention a few snacks and one or two other things."

Steve's walk with Grace to burn off steam and to resettle frayed nerves had naturally ended in the colorful gift shoppe. It was the perfect place to put aside the former serious nature of their heart to heart talk about what to tell Danno and when. The distraction was also ideal for Grace; allowing her to find a better alternative to focus on versus the frightening threats of Mark's parents. Without even asking each other, both had migrated to the small clothing section where Grace had instantly picked out a blue shirt. Planning ahead, Steve had added a second yellow version to their small pile of therapeutic retail articles. Before leaving the store, the original school emblazoned cleanup t-shirt had met its now timely end in the store manager's waste basket.

The change in clothing had caused an instantaneous improvement in Grace's attitude. Smiling as she overcame the nasty altercation with the Paquins, she'd been eager to get back to the ICU to visit with her father. Finding him asleep but sitting up in a chair had only added to her reinstated feelings of joy.

"It's a pretty color." Danny's grin grew as Grace dramatically modelled the dark blue shirt. Looking over her shoulder, he soon spied the second version folded neatly inside of the opened bag. "And a yellow one I see? Did you really need two?"

"Yup, she did." Neatly cutting Grace off, Steve gave a nonchalant shrug because he was watching his partner with a critical eye. Danny was intentionally modulating his voice to a lower pitch and keeping nearly monotone. While it was true that his partner certainly wasn't well, to find him sitting upright and speaking more normally was a complete relief. There was no more panted wheeze or long pause because of a seriously painful tug. These early successes took away from the near disastrous hallway argument with the Paquins and Steve was personally relieved for the healthier changes.

"I'll pay you back later," Danny offered, gently swinging Grace's hand. She looked happy, well-rested and incredibly better than just the night before. He grinned as he gave Steve a thankful look.

"Nope," Steve was already declining and snorting in loud disgust at even the idea of it. Grace was so much happier and while the Paquin issue was rearing an ugly head, a great many things were looking up. "You will do no such thing. This is entirely my treat for my special house-guest."

"Whatever you three are discussing, it will have to wait," disrupting the discussion, Danny's nurse strode in while tapping her watch. Extremely petite in stature, a new nurse's aide was following closely on her heels. Simultaneously addressing her patient and his two visitors, she sweetly pointed towards the door. "I can't have you overdoing things. So if you'll excuse us, I need to get Danny back in bed. It's going to take a good few minutes to get this done."

Danny couldn't help nor hide his disagreeable moan. The pending discomfort was going to be astronomical and his ability to recover his stamina, very slow. Probably slower than the first time since he was already growing fatigued.

"I'll help." Steve tented his fingers together, flipping them outwards to fake flexing them. The aide was physically tiny and he could already see her hesitance about being able to manage what Danny might need while avoiding hurting him. Newly worried about Danny's reluctance and evident uncertainty about navigating the short distance, Steve made his offer more final. "It's no problem and I think you could use my help."

There was no doubt too that Danny was relieved for the extra pair of hands, but he was glancing anxiously towards Grace. His desire for privacy and to not have his daughter see him struggling and very likely reduced to a miserable wreck was of utmost importance. On top of it, he too was having continued difficulty with adapting to just the concept of the chest tube; the less she saw of the intimidating medical device, all the better.

"Grace. If Uncle Steve helps, can you wait just outside?" Danny held her hand, fingers intertwined as some of the happiness left her face. But she nodded before carefully repacking the magazines and newspapers in the gift shoppe bag.

"There's a chair by the nurse's station, dear. Kelly, do me a favor and stay with Grace?" The nurse gently lay a hand on her head as Grace departed with Kelly, the petite nurse's aide, with a quick look backwards. She frowned when she saw the canister and tubing disappearing under the flimsy white hospital gown. Lingering to peek, she worriedly watched for a few minutes as Steve took her father's weight on the left and the nurse positioned herself to the right. Even with judicious help, he was barely able to stand. Upset, Grace backed up when the nurse carefully picked up the plastic canister and Danny literally moaned in obvious pain. Briefly ignoring Kelly who had placed a soothing hand on her shoulder, she stared at the doorway before truly retreating towards the nurse's station.

"Are you okay?" Kelly asked, understanding that the girl didn't like seeing her father in pain or having such trouble only standing. "Your dad will be fine once he gets back in bed. He's doing really well."

"Yes. I'm good," Grace murmured in reply while looking towards her father's hospital room. "Thank you."

She took the chair, sitting dutifully while Kelly visited with another nurse reviewing something on the computer. But Grace's obedience only lasted a few uncomfortable minutes. Her eyes wandered across nameless faces who were busy with various jobs. Some were standing in the corridor, while others were moving in and out of other patient's rooms. No one was really paying her much mind though. She made her decision quickly then, standing to take stock of where she was in relation to Danno's room. Her next decision was just as spontaneous as she fished through the plastic bag to find the purple beanbag dolphin which was originally intended for her father.

"Where are you going?" Kelly suddenly asked, making Grace realize that she wasn't as alone as she had first presumed. She was pleasant and kind though, giving Grace the courage she needed to ask an important question.

"Can I see Mark?" For a moment, Kelly was confused until she realized that Grace meant her young classmate.

"I guess so as long as his nurse says it's alright." Side by side, Kelly led Grace to the right room which was on the opposite side of the ward. Surprisingly, there was an intense but brief conversation between Kelly and Mark's nurse who wasn't immediately forthright with her permission. As Grace stood there in growing confusion nearly rending the poor beanbag dolphin in half, the nurse refused to budge from Mark's doorway.

"Do you want to give him that?" The nurse motioned to the toy first, obviously still mulling the request. "Mark isn't going to be able to talk. You do know that he's still very sick?"

"Hmm." Nodding, Grace murmured a small agreeable sound. "I just wanted to see him ... and leave this." Nervously, Grace scrunched the beanbag toy in her hands while peering around the corner. But she waited until the nurse made up her mind.

"You can come in for a few seconds, dear," his nurse finally conceded, offering a kind smile. Still cautiously looking in case his parents had returned, Grace paused but other than the nurse, no one else was with Mark Paquin. His room was lit by filtered morning sun coming through the one window's partly drawn blinds. Almost tiptoeing in with Kelly nearby and the nurse watching, Grace stood quietly by his side studying his lax face and the bandages on the side of his head. His eyes were bruised looking and his face was very pale. Unlike her father, he lacked a great deal of the oppressive tubes and mostly looked like he was merely sleeping. Yet according to what she'd heard thus far, her classmate was much more critical.

"Mark?" Grace whispered his name. She frowned worriedly when of course, he didn't move let alone answer. Creeping closer, she dared to look deeply into his face wondering and then hoping he would wake up soon. She froze in place when she heard louder noises in the corridor, but people were only walking rapidly passed his room. Quickly, Grace tucked the dolphin into the crook of his arm. Her next whisper was full of a desperate emotion. "Mark, it's me, Grace. You have to wake up and get better. You have to wake up and make things right."

She waited for a split second longer until her nerve gave way to a tingle of fear that she might be caught by his parents. That she might be seen should his parents return and it certainly wouldn't matter that Kelly was with her based on their prior unpleasant attitude. Without another word but missing the shared smiles between the petite aide and Mark's nurse about the purple toy, Grace left as quickly as she'd come with Kelly. Retreating towards the direction of Danno's room and safer refuge, she took a deep calming breath while resuming her seat in the plastic chair by the nurse's station.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

 

Helping Danny back to bed was a strongly sobering experience for Steve. It nearly dissolved his initial optimistic feelings upon entering the room with Grace. It rekindled the old animosity he felt towards the Paquins too as his own stomach tightened in sympathy and concern when Danny sagged into him. Having his partner trembling, sweating and panting erratically in his arms, Steve was once again on a taut stressed edge.

"I got you, just lean on me," Steve softy urged. Worried by the weakness he felt as Danny swayed, he glanced towards the nurse but she was focused solely on his partner. Upon taking two short steps from the chair, he was already supporting almost all of Danny's weight and they'd quickly rocked to a uniform halt. On the opposite side of his partner, the nurse was the epitome of patience and care as she managed the tubes, lines and drainage canister which evidently was the largest culprit causing Danny so much pain.

"Just like before, Danny. We go as slow as you need to go, so take your time and tell me what you need," the nurse added, without a single ounce of impatience in her tone. "Stop when you have to and regroup. Then, let me know when you're ready to continue." Her steady nature was soothing and as bolstering as it could be as her patient made steady progress towards their goal.

Resorting once more to closing his eyes, Danny didn't even nod as he willed his feet to move knowing that the nurse would be keeping up to minimize the agitating feeling of the chest tube. With Steve on his better side, he merely gripped his partner's arm like a life-line; something he hadn't dare do with the prior nurse's aide even though she'd been ready for him to do so. After what felt like an eternity, the nurse was telling him to stop and in gratitude, Danny realized he was finally bedside.

"Wait one sec for me." The nurse was once more gently fixing things to expertly line them up with how he would need to sit and then lay down comfortably.

It didn't take long for the nurse to be ready, but Danny was trembling now and breathing in a discordant fashion having lost his original methodical rhythm. Each labored breath was shallow out of necessity and he failed at hiding an occasional pained moan. Blindly, Danny felt Steve's right arm go around his shoulders while his left hand firmly anchored to his quivering left elbow. That support was going to be critical in shuffling a half-turn, sitting and moving just enough onto the bed so he could attempt relaxing into its raised head.

"You two do what you need to do. I've got you, Danno. You're not going to fall," Steve softly admonished. He'd helped injured men before and focused on the logistics of what he thought his partner might need in order to remove the fear of falling and to alleviate as much potential pain as possible.

Going so far as to place one knee on the bed to support his upper body, Steve purposefully followed Danny's lead as the nurse coached his partner steadily to commit to each of the next movements. Hesitating would create potentially irreparable pain; starting to sit or lay down only to reverse direction would counter their diligent progress and Danny needed to trust them to help. Planning ahead, Steve waited and then used his own body as a brace to support Danny's weight like an immovable wall.

Breathing heavily, Danny heard every word and concentrated on each of the steps described. He was incredibly relieved to virtually collapse into Steve's strong dependable hold which made sitting more comfortable than he had anticipated. With the highly efficient nurse maintaining her role and Steve literally having his back, even the slow positioning to eventually fully lay supine in bed was easier than Danny feared it might actually be.

Once there though, Danny wilted weakly as the nurse quickly catered to the last of his needs. She moved swiftly to ensure each of the intravenous lines were as they should be; that his chest tube was as comfortable as humanly possible and that oxygen was flowing once more over his nose and mouth. Pain medication was dispensed and light sheets fixed neatly over his legs with a heavier blanket following.

Eyes tightly closed as he willed the pain to abate and his breathing to obey, Danny knew that Steve had moved around the bed to stand over his left side. Out of the way of the nurse's main area of ministrations, Steve was hovering and wondering what else he could do to help. Evidently though, his friend was at a loss because he lay a concerned hand on Danny's left forearm, only to grip his hand as Danny shuddered through a final ripple of pain.

"He's okay, Commander. Danny, you did pretty well and that wasn't too bad, right?" The nurse's temperament was naturally light-hearted and Danny had to peel his eyes back open to partially grin in reply. Already gaining ground in combating the pain and controlling his breathing, it had been a challenging feat but Danny was generally satisfied. His annoyance was now with the malaise which seemed to be the cause of the continued muscular tremble which even Steve's hand couldn't subdue.

"Do you want a few more minutes before I call your daughter back in?" The nurse was beyond astute as she cocked her head as if calculating his physical ability to recover. "I think you need some more time."

"Yeah," Danny pushed out while allowing his eyes to droop closed. He was still out of breath, sweating and desperately needed to regain a modicum of self-control before Grace should see him. In fact, it was more than obvious that even Steve was dismayed by the depth of the production. Before he could provide his own best estimate about Grace though, Danny chuffed softly when Steve answered in his stead.

"Give him about ten minutes," Steve offered, continually concerned about Danny's obvious pain and fatigue. Reluctant to leave, he smiled in thanks when the nurse smoothly went to the doorway to look down the hall. It as as if she was reading his mind about Grace.

"I can see your daughter from here, Danny. She's reading a magazine." Her breezy comment was welcome and Steve felt Danny diligently relax even more, knowing that he had time; that what he needed to have to comfort him further was patiently still there. With an appeased chuffed sound of his own, Steve squeezed Danny's hand as the nurse accurately surmised their dual needs. "I'll let her know that everything is fine but that you need a few more minutes to get settled. She's not alone; Kelly will stay with her."

"Thanks," Steve murmured, once again for his partner, who had only managed a weary nod. Steve's smile fell from his face though after the nurse left the room. Danny was awake based upon the heavy lines denting his face which proved he was still working on modulating each achy breath. However, his eyes were closed and residual beads of sweat still traced his forehead.

"Are you sure that you're okay? Do you need anything … water maybe?" Steve swallowed worriedly, not entirely mollified when Danny carefully shook his head to decline.

"I'm good. Just tired," Danny whispered, barely audible for the oxygen mask. "Need ... a minute." Other than the physical pain which was slowly coming down to a manageable level, he wasn't nauseous or experiencing too many other real issues. His next soft question nearly caused Steve to pause uncomfortably though. Danny didn't know that his partner's need to recover quickly was so neatly done as a pang of anger passed through his very core.

"How's Mark? Is he any better?" Danny asked, oblivious to Steve's mood change. Behind closed lids, he could only envision the tube leading to the canister and how air bubbles were likely fizzing the water silently as he fought to control his breathing. He hadn't had time to consider the young boy and now, Danny hoped for some good news. "How are the Paquins holding up?"

"Mark?" Patting Danny's arm to prevent himself from digging his nails through his own palm, Steve was glad that his partner's eyes were still closed as the lines of stress eased one by one in his face. He was sickly thrilled that Grace wasn't present to hear her father's due concern.

Rather than saying a word about the parents, Steve's short reply was truthful and solely focused on the boy. With Danny's eyes closed, Steve had time to wipe the black look from his face as he provided the briefest of answers. "No. There's no change yet, Danno. I'll let you know though."

**_~ to be continued ~_ **


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

 

It was barely Saturday afternoon and Steve had only left Danny's room to speak with Chin and then Kono. Both were planning to swing by the hospital now that the bulk of tests had been done. On his way back through the main ICU doors though, Steve was accosted in the hallway by Mark Paquin's father. The man was ashen, shaken leaving Steve to be on guard as he wondered how the earlier altercation might now play out with a second go-round.

"Do you want to explain this?" Paquin thrust the purple fisted object into Steve's chest, the thump of knuckles connecting with his breastbone. "We thought … _no, I thought_  … the nurses brought it in for Mark as a type of trigger or a what would you call it? A stimulus. Anyway, I just found out that your partner's kid did it."

Scowling in confusion, Steve reactively clutched the toy only to realize it was the same purple dolphin he'd bought with Grace from the hospital's small gift shoppe. She had wanted it for Danno as a type of joke-gift to make him laugh. He'd completely forgotten about it until that very moment, more than shocked to find it in Mark's father's calloused hands.

"I'm not sure I can." He fumbled the soft beanbag when it was so quickly released, nearly dropping it in the process. As he got a better look at the purple body, registering its heated warmth and damp state, Steve wasn't sure how long Paquin might have been angrily waiting for him in the hallway. Steve's next comment was cautious and very careful, with consideration only for a 12-year old's concepts of right and wrong. "I guess Grace wanted to do something nice for Mark."

Paquin's jaw clenched at that, evidently unsure of what to say because it was much too simple. He was conflicted, confused and stuck in an ugly frame of mind as he searched for ulterior motives. Steve waited for a fraction of a second before asking a very important question. "I'll get to the bottom of this but tell me right now, how big of a problem are we going to have? They're just kids."

"She doesn't know." Paquin ground out through his teeth. "At least not yet." There was no doubt that he meant his wife and that he was uncertain if she might even find out as his jaw continued to work behind clenched teeth in a grinding fashion. The implication of his wife's anger still loomed, too, yet Paquin's attitude seemed slightly less heated. Wondering if what was happening was indeed another threat though, Steve held his ground. He merely waited Paquin out to hear what might come next.

"She shouldn't have been in Mark's room." Now referring to Grace, Steve was stunned when the highly emotional father yanked the almost bedraggled toy out of his fingers. It was unexpected and Steve let go just as he felt a few stitches strain and then pop deep in the toy's already limp neck. For an instant, he wondered if he was going to finally see if actual beans were really sewn into beanbag toys of if the gravelly stuffing was more plasticine man-made pellets of some unknown origin.

Still, Steve remained quiet because Paquin was changing subjects at a near startling rate. Stammering second by second over his tongue in a hop-scotched pattern which only proved his fragmented mental state. "Mark woke up … about an hour ago. They're taking him for tests. He hasn't spoken yet, but he likes this damned ... toy. He likes to hold it."

He regarded Steve for a long silent moment as if attempting to string together thoughts that might become sensible words. But he was wholly unable to do more than turn on his heel with the beanbag fisted in his left hand. There was nothing else. No actual attack or added threats of one and certainly no thanks as the man walked away with the purple dolphin toy; only a few odd but highly emotionally charged sentences.

"So, he woke up." Steve whispered. Deep in his throat, he grunted then in exasperation as he watched the big man devour the ICU with ground-consuming steps. Far down the hallway, he watched as a medical contingent crowded the area to what was likely Mark's room. He watched as the white-clad coats parted like the sea for Mark's father, allowing him to lean down over the bed which was being wheeled away. There was a hesitation, a moment in time when no one moved. But when the man backed away, the toy was no longer in his hand and Steve chuffed a confused sound before running his hand clear over his face.

Before re-entering Danny's room, Steve stood in the doorway. Rather than choosing a chair, Grace was now sitting on the floor, knees drawn up while leaning against the wall and rereading one of the magazines they'd bought. Danny was sleeping after having had a bedside ultrasound which would hopefully confirm that the hemopneurothorax was continuing to resolve itself as they all hoped. A technician had done the test, seemingly pleased that results looked alright but advising that Doctor Webber would be the one to provide the full readout. They were all anxious for the doctor to arrive that afternoon. In fact, Webber had plans to move his partner out of the ICU and to a regular room once the results confirmed an anticipated favorable status.

Danny had suggested that Steve and Grace might leave before lunch, but Grace had opted to stay. Her plea to stay was plainly simple in that they could have a late lunch together and maybe too, the test results might be available. She and Steve would leave though after lunch so that Danny could continue to sleep and heal. The time would also give them a necessary break in the afternoon to regroup and relax before returning in the evening. But now, Steve mentally juggled a new issue which he wasn't entirely sure how to handle or frankly, if he should even be the one to try. The latter solution meant telling Danny about the Paquins though; a risk that Steve wished to avoid this early in his own friend's somewhat dubious state of recovery.

Steve entered the room, ignoring Grace where she sat reading to study his partner's face. There was no doubt that the chest tube was a constant physical and mental sore point. With luck though, it might even be removed within the next 24-hours. Webber continued to be pleased with his patient's progress as each hour passed. In fact as Danny continued to sleep, Steve acknowledged the healthier complexion, the lack of oxygen mask for a more basic nasal cannula, and the sheer lack of stress in his face.

The indicators were clear and with Mark Paquin awake, Steve's new conundrum seemed more obvious. Loathe to cause Danny a setback of any kind, Steve made up his mind. He could at least begin the delicate conversation with Grace because what she'd done in a spontaneous burst of generosity, would become a factor with the elder Paquins. Because the world of adults was more complicated than that of children, Danny would need to know and they would all need to be on the same page once Steve officially handed Grace back to her father.

"Grace?" Steve walked to the foot of the bed, whispering and beckoning to her so they could leave the room. "While Danno's asleep, let's get a snack. I'd like to talk to you about something, too."

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

 

Grace had no idea what she'd done wrong. So her response to Steve's comments was at first an uncomfortable silence during which she tried to consider his advice. But after, she found herself angry and even more defensive for not understanding what was so wrong in seeing Mark.

"I asked, and the nurse said it was okay." She was almost defiant now sitting across the cafeteria table as Steve returned an appreciative look. "He was alone, too. Why would they leave him alone like that when he's so sick? It's not fair ... it's not right."

"Don't feel too badly, Grace. What you did was meant well. It's only that none of us really has any idea what they are dealing with right now. So all I'm saying is that we give them space because maybe it's best if we leave them alone for the time being." Softening, Steve reached across the table to warmly squeeze her fingers. His only goal was to keep her away from any potential confrontations with the volatile parents. Shaking his head in disgust, Steve blew out a maddened puff of air about the Paquins because Grace had a great many good points.

"Mark's father said his son really liked the toy though. I think he even took it with him for the tests he has to have." His gentle observation brought back her smile. The couple was problematic and he was struggling to do his best in order to protect both Grace and Danny until his partner might be well enough to be brought into the loop. Duke Lukela and the rest of the team were doing precisely the same thing should any other diversions be required. Steve was only moderately pacified because Mr. Paquin had waited for him in the hallway; he hadn't simply waltzed demonstratively into Danny's hospital room.

"Maybe they needed to talk to a doctor or make a phone call. They could have just gone for a cup of coffee but the truth is, it's none of our business, Gracie. They're Mark's parents and they don't want any unannounced visitors right now." Steve squirmed suddenly in his seat. Being thankful that Mr. Paquin had confronted him brought the wife to mind. It caused an unsettling edgy premonitory twitch to his fingers as he wondered if the woman might dare do something unprecedented while her son was in whatever tests had been scheduled. Something  _untoward_  and very unwelcome while Danny was alone, unsuspecting and supposedly resting.

"I'm glad Mark woke up, but his parents aren't very nice." Grace muttered under her breath. Even though Mark wasn't even one of her best friends, she didn't understand anything that had happened, least of all his mother's fury. She couldn't digest why his parents still seemed to remain so dreadful now that their son had also finally woken up. Secretly, she was even happy that he wanted the silliest of toys; the tiniest of impulsive, ridiculous things.

Though he agreed with her assessment, Steve certainly couldn't verbalize that fact as his mind became distracted by running the most unpleasant of scenarios should Mrs. Paquin in particular, take it upon herself to castigate his partner personally. Other than agreeing not to discuss the Paquins or Mark with Danny, Steve felt that had resolved very little with Grace. But it was a start and would have to be enough in the short term. His mood continued to sour though and he nervously changed gears to tap Grace on the hand to indicate his growing desire to leave.

"We've been gone a long time, let's go back up to see Danno." Steve suggested. Agreement was swift as Grace fairly beamed in happy reply. But the respite was short lived as soon as they returned to the intensive care unit.

A welcoming smile glimmered than fell from his lips at the same time Grace's fingers groped reassuringly for his hand. Turning the final corner on the approach to Danny's room, Steve heard the rush of angry voices before he saw Kono first ... just before he recognized the woefully familiar splotchy reddened face. His immediate reaction was abrupt and meant to take control in order to begin mitigating the issue. To initiate proactive countermeasures which would deflect or quash the enemy in their tracks.

"Kono, I got this. Take Grace for a walk and come back later." There was no bargaining, only a command of which Kono accepted with a certain gravity. He was not put at ease when he noticed the curtain drawn around his partner's bed. The flimsy material provided much too little in terms of any actual protection.

"She wants to speak to Danny. He's still sleeping." Kono murmured as she took Grace's hand. "I stalled for as long as I could ... and Danny's nurse is calling security ... but she's determined to talk to him."

"It's not going to happen." Where Kono was barely audible, Steve's voice was normal and meant to be heard. It was laced with anger as he inserted himself between Danny's room and Mark's mother. Her reaction mirrored his as she drew her own shoulders back indignantly. Neither said a word until Kono had removed Grace from the vicinity. Steve waited longer still, folding his arms while assuming a broad-shouldered immovable stance. "Like I said to Officer Kalakaua and I know you heard me; it's not going to happen. Especially not today; especially not now."

If possible, Beth Paquin's rigidity increased ten-fold. Anger rose as a rash from her neck upwards to her cheeks. "The emotional trauma he's put us through ... this terrible psychological suffering is something that my family will never get over. In just twenty-four hours, his negligence has caused us to suffer from depression and anxiety. And Mark is incapable of speech ... my son is already suffering from post-traumatic stress!"

"Where exactly do you get off with these threats? What negligence other than your own?" Steve spat the words out, aggressively conquering his desire to shout by calling upon years of ingrained negotiation skills. However, his actual comments were far from wanting to entertain a common deliberation. "Who even managed to spoon-feed you these obscene concepts of psychological suffering? Of post-traumatic stress? Do you think that any of this is really going to stand up in a court of law?"

His voice dropped considerably when he heard his name called faintly from behind his back. Hands clenched, Steve forced his voice even lower though he knew that Mrs. Paquin would not follow in kind. While he was hopeful actual words weren't reaching his partner's ears, Danny heard the heated debate occurring just outside the room. The volatile atmosphere had woken him and based on the confused tone, he was already concerned.

"I'm no longer nicely asking you to leave, Mrs. Paquin." Danny's nurse had returned. Her own agitation perched precariously on the sleeve of her uniform. Taking Steve's side and that of any patient in the vicinity, she boldly flanked the incensed woman raising her hand to point imperiously to the exit. The nurse glanced worriedly towards Steve when she too, heard his name being called from the hospital room. "I'm telling you to leave. Security is on the way. It would be easier if you met them outside the ICU before they remove you entirely from these premises."

"Really?" Leveling an incredulous look towards the nurse and surprised as two orderlies joined their small group, Mrs. Paquin refused to back down as she snorted under her breath. "You'd have me suffer from even more emotional trauma? More stress? What kind of hospital is this? The school did not provide a safe environment for my son. This special event was conducted in an inappropriate location," the woman stated, her voice rising as dramatic excitement got the better of her. "The Honolulu Police Department and your partner are completely incompetent! I will also be suing the County for failing to maintain the beach proper; for failing to provide signage and adequate safety prevention tactics to keep children off those dangerous rocks!"

"Sue the State for all I care. All you're after is money," Steve smirked as the laundry list of complaints grew. Inside though, he was now deeply anxious as Danny tried harder to get his attention. A breathless, thinly clad voice that was desperately louder now. Barely a second after, something also clattered to the floor and Steve hoped it was nothing more than the bedside remote. However, Beth Paquin heard the questioning call and then the subsequent noise.

"Don't even." Slamming his hand into the airspace between them when she had the gall to attempt to peer around his body, Steve hissed his warning. He then leaned backwards into the room as far as he could manage without giving way, satisfied when the nurse continued to bolster their position. Refusing to take his eyes off the cagey woman though, Steve calmly aimed his voice over his shoulder. "Danny, everything's fine ... just hang on one minute and I'll be right there."

There was a brief window of silence and then the faintest of uncertain acknowledgements before Steve entirely challenged Mrs. Paquin's nasty bluff. "This is all about money and what you can gain from a terrible accident. You want to profit from all of this. But do you seriously think that you're in pain? What about Detective Williams ... he nearly died protecting your son. Where were you during all of this anyway? Where exactly were you while Mark was off wandering by himself when every other child was with his or her parent?"

Beth Paquin rudely smirked, though she didn't answer. But that wasn't out of guilt. It was only a strange sense of self-righteousness. She also had no reply to Steve's final comment which was intended to be as equally rude. "If you're so worried about Mark, why aren't you with him right now when he needs you the most?"

Then it was too late for anything more to continue as two Security guards purposefully entered the ICU, beckoned instantly by Danny's nurse. "Go check on him. I'll be right there." Pushing Steve backwards, she took his place solidly in the doorway as the two guards descended upon Mrs. Paquin who had begun an entirely new tirade now against the hospital.

_**~ to be continued ~** _


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

 

The frenetic murmur of clashing sounds so different from the unit's normalcy woke Danny. He'd slept deeply, probably from the earlier change in position which had required a sudden onslaught of activity inflicted upon his injured body to move from bed to side chair and ultimately back again. That, combined with a judicious amount of prescribed analgesics, worked in consort to make him comfortable. He felt rested and fairly well, yet the odd timbre of divergent voices just outside his room was perplexing. He lay there trying to make sense of it and assuming at first there was an emergency with another patient inside the specialized unit. But the curtains to his bed were closed shielding him from truly seeing and providing just enough of an obstacle to muffle real words. Eventually though, he did hear the unmistakable sounds of Steve's voice. The angry tone was pronounced which further served to deliver the underlying warning to whomever he was speaking to. None of what Danny sensed suited the hospital's safe sanctuary though and his waking state moved from peaceful to a more disturbing realm.

"Steve?" Danny carefully sucked in a purposeful mouthful of air. His voice went literally nowhere and he rolled his eyes in mock personal disgust as he pushed the oxygen mask aside. He wondered if Grace was nearby and so tried calling to her next, confused when there was no reply to that soft query either.

"Grace? Grace ... Monkey? Are you here?" The lack of answer was a distressing antithesis to the louder voices outside and Danny winced as he tried to squirrel himself more upright. "Grace!" He gasped in pain as one awkward movement shifted the chest tube and pulled thickly on his right side. He was now worried about Grace but the sharp ache brought a pang of nausea so strong, Danny needed to close his eyes to swallow hard. The unwise attempt at moving without help was distinctly worth abandoning as a heated flare of pain warned him of his current limitations.

"Hey." Closing his eyes, Danny diligently drew in a deeper breath and pushed out harder, with a much stronger effort. He ignored the harsher pinch by the chest tube, gently palming the area near the bandages below where the tube had been inserted.

"Steve?" he tried again with more success in that he felt he was finally heard. Disappointment followed much too quickly though when he not only wasn't answered, no one showed up at all. Two female and one male voice continued in rising and falling swells of sound, none of which was pleasant. Danny thought he heard his nurse's firm voice demanding something which sounded oddly like an ultimatum. The strident rebuke from the second female was nearly instantaneous, rising to an inappropriate volume. Holding his breath for two or three shallow heart beats, Danny wondered if he heard her complain about the  _Honolulu Police Department_  followed by the words  _negligence_  and even  _children_.

"Damn it." A light throaty cough covered the whisper and Danny ignored the sight twinge of ache inflicted upon his chest. He trusted that Steve would never subject Grace to such a negative, frightening situation. Yet, there was doubt and concern that Grace was still too close especially when Danny imagined hearing words which sounded suspiciously like the argument was pertaining to Mark, the beach cleanup and the accident which had put them both in the hospital. Pressing harder near a lower rib, it took him a few seconds to regain his resolve, but Danny fought for it winning with a belligerent tinge to his own voice.

"Steve!" One handed and limited by the few painful scrapes and bruises on his fingers earned in his failed attempt to lunge across volcanic rock, he groped for the nurse's call button. Aiming his voice towards the doorway, he became annoyed when the long beige colored cord became mired in the bedding. The tiny metal prong meant to adhere to a convenient portion of material snapped and then broke away on his final tug. His thumb found the button but then his bruised fingers slipped and he cursed more vehemently as the remote tumbled completely to the floor.

"You have got to be kidding me!" Danny cough-whispered into the air. Wholly disgusted, his worry only grew in conjunction with what he now knew was an argument. It made no sense and he struggled in vain to both get attention and to hear what precisely was happening.

 _"Don't even!"_ Danny's eyes widened in surprise when he clearly heard Steve's next two words. He was stunned into silence by the unwelcome and sheer anger of his partner's tone. Unable to figure out whom Steve might be arguing with, Danny had trouble even managing a response of his own when finally ...  _finally_  ... something was specifically aimed his way.

But it in no way eased his mind because Steve's voice was forced into an insincere calm. And then there was Grace ... where was she in what was sounding like a terrible situation?  _"Danny, everything's fine ... just hang on one minute and I'll be right there."_

"Yeah ... okay." Unconvinced, Danny pushed out the two words with an effort that left him breathless. Ignoring everything except the sounds from the hallway, Danny frowned when he only heard Steve continuing once more on a tact which was angry and every bit accusatory. It told him nothing about his daughter, leaving an ever-widening gap in his knowledge-base. With no recourse, he lay there stranded without even the bed remote to lift himself taller. Helplessly stuck in place and listening hard while scowling even more deeply in confusion, Danny's mind whirled unpleasantly when he clearly heard Mark's name mentioned.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

 

Though the why remained elusive, Danny thought he had it mostly figured out when Steve finally swept through the curtain just a few seconds later. Taken aback by the blatant concern marring Steve's features, Danny gave pause to any of his own questions about Mark's parents or even regarding the immediate welfare of his own daughter. Steve's expression spawned a tingle of doubt or possibly even a feeling of trepidation, either of which made Danny remain uncharacteristically quiet.

"Are you okay?" The darkness in Steve's eyes communicated his concern while sweeping over every square inch of his partner only to land heavily on Danny's right side where the chest tube peeked out. He noted his partner's fingers which dared to closely trace near the lip of the white bandages which was clue enough to indicate pain. In his haste though, Steve's shoe hit the plastic remote sending it skittering ever more under the bed and he disappeared from view to retrieve it. The rush of blood suffused his face making him look more stressed as he reappeared seconds later and just as anxiously to ensure that Danny hadn't inadvertently re-injured himself.

"Where's ... Grace?" More of harsh whisper, Danny didn't try to hide the effort it took to ask his rejoinder. Breathing in carefully through his nose, Danny frowned at the much too brief reply and Steve's obvious distraction.

"She's fine, Danno. Are you alright? This is out of hand ... totally out of control." Steve continued in his examination, barely giving Danny time to nod. Other than appearing to be alarmed and no doubt confused, Danny seemed fine if not slightly perturbed for having lost the remote in the first place. Placing it now on the bed within easy reach, Steve huffed a quiet rebuttal when Danny replied while laying his palm over the plastic buttons.

"I'm fine, I just need to sit up ... and understand what's going on. Steven. Where ... is ... Grace?" Tiredly using the remote, Danny motioned to himself and then the bed. He was more than uncomfortable as his chest pinged in response from the episode of erratic breathing. He was worried about Grace despite understanding Steve had ensured her safety. Blinking back a few tears from a threatening cough, he closed his eyes briefly willing his lungs to ease their painful strain. Modulating his tone to whisper, he peered up at Steve to insist he continue. "Help me sit up. Then ... tell me ... what happened ... out there? Where's ... Grace?"

"With Kono. Grace is with Kono; they went for a walk downstairs," Steve replied to the latter question and opted to act on the first demand. Both allowed a momentary lull in discussing Beth Paquin; delay tactics also for Steve to better organize his thoughts on where to begin and what to say. He didn't miss the twinges of pain at every minor movement as he helped to carefully shift Danny in the bed. He was relieved though to see a visible change in the high level of stress in his partner's face. Moving from high to a more acceptable level of moderate, deep lines of tension lessened making Steve want to stay even longer on the topic of his daughter. The safe zone was an easy place to let it all ride, but his frayed emotions were wreaking havoc. For a moment, Steve busied himself with the bed and linens to avoid meeting Danny's gaze as he continued to repeat himself. "They went for a walk. I'm sure that they'll be back soon."

Quickly but carefully, he raised the head of the bed to the point where Danny was comfortably coping and able to see more of the room. A look to the hallway confirmed that the contingent carting away Mrs. Paquin had departed, so Steve opened the curtain. Danny's nurse was holding a small tête-à-tête with her peers and she glanced up meeting Steve's eyes with a definite query. His exaggerated exhale and nod communicated the satisfactory reply and she nodded in kind to indicate she'd soon be over to check on her patient.

"Your nurse will be here in a minute and trust me ... Grace is fine." Mired in the immediate present and not realizing that his distracted behavior was fueling Danny's concern, Steve literally shook his hands out because even his fingers were tense from the recent experience.

"Ridiculous." Preoccupied by Beth Paquin's loathing, his soft snort was rueful and full of disdain, but he still didn't provide enough of the most important details for Danny's liking. Steve knew that too, but was blatantly on edge and then kicking himself for saying too much in a final rush of emotion. Talking under his breath, Steve gave a final twitch to a blanket. "I have never met anyone like that in my entire life. I have no idea what she thinks is going to happen. None."

When he looked up, Danny's eyes were narrowed in a stealthy scrutiny. Even if he just hadn't mumbled a single word in error, there was no way in which Steve would be controlling the pending conversation. He sniffed in self-recrimination as he wiped sweaty hands on his jeans and aimlessly shoved them in his pockets. Regardless of best efforts, he was read with the veritable ease of a preschooler's picture book.

"Before you tell me about the Paquins and what's going on between them, Mark and HPD, plus what sounds like a lawsuit ... where exactly are Grace and Kono?" Danny asked. "Start at the top."

The time it took for Danny to gather energy for the long sentence left him winded again, but he was determined. Two fingers bore near his side as if they'd alleviate the uncomfortable ache from the tube as he stared into Steve's face.

"Well? Steve?" Prompting with barely a whisper, Danny waited. Steve needed what seemed to be just as long to recover from his own surprise. Something which Danny found somewhat amusing though it was an unsettling sight to behold. He raised his eyebrows as if goading Steve's momentary inability to reply as he reacted to hearing the Paquin name in the same sentence as  _lawsuit_. All these things were undeniable signals indicating that Danny was quite correct. Things which Steve's mannerisms were shouting out loud to the heavens as a finger merely twitched or a body-wide fidget forced movement.

"We're still waiting on Webber for the last ultrasound results, so I took Grace down to the cafeteria for a break. When we got back, Kono was already here and dealing with Beth Paquin. Hospital security took over but before this whole debacle started in the hallway, Kono took Grace either back down to the cafeteria or even to the gift shoppe. They really are due back any minute." Steve's mental kick was solid as he forced himself into a shuddering immovable halt. Growling then because cessation of movement, too, was another not so subtle hint as Danny's lip quirked in reaction. Realizing finally that his partner had heard much more than he thought, Steve pursed his lips unhappily about Danny's obvious perceptions. "She wasn't here for any of what just occurred outside, Danno."

"Good. Thank you." Not even knowing more about what had gone down Danny relaxed, sinking into the bed with a relieved murmur. His eyes closed with a renewed purpose to regain energy stores only to fly open at a terrible thought. Swallowing hard as he searched Steve's face for the truth, Danny physically felt the emotional pang ring through the center of his body. He winced as he forgot to control his breathing, panting though a new fear. "He's ... not dead? Mark's alive, right? Tell me ... that boy didn't ... die, Steven."

"God. No, Danny. Mark's fine ... he's not dead." Heaving in a huge deep breath and letting it out in a single rush, Steve closed his eyes for a moment while shaking his head. The next rueful shake was nearly imperceptible. Meant completely for Danny, the accompanying sigh was in due consideration of his partner's oftentimes impossible ability to consider others first. Forcing himself to calmly focus, Steve genuinely smiled about the initial good news. He watched as each word allowed the flare of worry to leave Danny's face and an anxious slightly off-kilter way of breathing returned to more normal. "No, in fact there's a bit of good news there. Mark actually woke up a few hours ago. He's going through some tests but I don't know more than that."

"That's great," Danny smiled on the shallow exhale. But there was more which so obviously wasn't on the brighter side of stellar, and he drew in a careful breath before nervously tapping the remote on the bed. "So. What's wrong?"

With great trepidation and some minor editing related to Grace and the beanbag toy, Steve explained the Paquins' allegations and threats of potential legal action making it clear that nothing would hold up in the courts. There was no more prompting on Danny's part as he listened and absorbed what Steve related regarding blame placed on everyone from the hospital to HPD and even the school system or the County for failure in maintaining proper signage.

"You left someone out," Danny murmured, as he felt the tension returning through the stiffening of his shoulders and involuntary tightening of his stomach muscles which drew on his healing wound. With Kono's help, Steve had been and still was protecting both Grace and him. He was full of gratitude for what Steve had deflected because the Paquin attack was much more personal than potential legal action against a County or some other entity. Danny was indeed grateful but there was potential fallout from which no one could help.

"None of this is going to stick. Not at any level." Swearing under his breath, Steve frowned in the direction of the hallway wondering and hoping that the nurse would return that very instant. She was clearly leaning in their direction showing intent, but still involved in conversation with staff. He had never seen Danny's eyes suddenly so dark and he didn't know what to think. For the first time, Danny's expression was nearly unreadable and devoid of emotion.

"If Rachel gets wind of this," Danny began, but hesitated as he lost cadence in breathing calmly. He had to stop to remind himself that things were fine between them, but as the past had well proven, tides could change terribly fast. Danny found himself verbalizing those dire facts even as Steve hesitantly attempted to offer more optimistic opinion.

"I thought you and Rachel were okay, Danny?" Worried about the change in tact, Steve was still confused by it. The more positive he suggested, the more Danny seemed to close in upon himself and he simply didn't understand the unexpected response. "Things have been great; seriously, look at these last almost two weeks, Danno. This entire special time with Grace was Rachel's idea. It was a surprise ... for you and for Grace."

Eyes closed, Danny tried to find solace in that truth but real life experience had burned him. And it had burned him badly. With his eyes still shut, he shook his head to prevent Steve from continuing. "Because it's fodder."

"For what?" Steve whispered, hoping his tone would provide a means to calm a rising distress since Danny could ill-afford getting worked up.

"Future fuel," Danny muttered around a light cough. "Fuel to be thrown in my face." There was the inevitable negativity ingrained in his very personality preventing him from thinking otherwise. The crisis was not that Danny might be sued, the big issue was how it might affect his future parental rights should something go wrong between him and his ex-wife.

"There's no basis for a complaint let alone a case. Why are you thinking that way? This thing with the Paquins will not go anywhere, Danny," Steve soothed, seeing the grimace as pain fractured another shallow inhale. The counter-argument was silent at first, merely communicated by a temperamental wave of Danny's hand which was still attached to the bedside remote.

"You don't understand. All it takes ... is innuendo," Danny ground out. "Just a seed ... just a seed ... to lay blame." He didn't need to win or lose; the act of blame alone could be enough to spell an imminent failure impacting his relationship with his daughter. The hint of negligence would be all the court would need and Danny simply could not stop himself from going down that path. "They're stateside for a reason. A very big ... reason ... related to Stan's work. Suppose ... just suppose ... there's another ... challenge?"

With his eyes still closed, Danny missed the flash of anger in Steve's eyes. He allowed the bedside remote to be unwound from his fingers, not realizing that his partner had depressed the call button for help.

"No, Danny, it is absolutely nothing," Steve vowed hotly as Danny paled from inconsistent breaths. Refusing to relinquish his place by his partner's side as the nurse arrived on a run to reinstate his partner's comfort, Steve was undeniably angry. He quietly acknowledged his partner's fondness for unfortunate negativity and silently lay his own blame on feelings of weakness and illness which exacerbated the same.

However, Steve had also borne personal witness to Rachel's depth of argument in the past; the one time Grace was inadvertently exposed to seeing her father shot during an Aloha Girls camping trip. The details had been dressed down in court and used as the fodder Danny so noted. Forewarned was definitely fore-armed and Steve completely understood.

"I promise you aren't going to have to worry about this." Needing to grasp Danny's searching hand to help steady him through careful ministrations as the nurse gently evaluated the chest tube, he couldn't help leaning down closer to make his own final point. Steve didn't expect a reply as he tightened his hold to relay the personal assurance behind his words. "It's nothing because they can try whatever the hell they want, but it's defamation of character. I dare them to prove anything otherwise. These threats won't be going any further."

_**~ to be continued ~** _


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

 

Steve would have put his knee-jerk reactions into play right then and there if not for Doctor Webber's arrival. Not precisely unexpected, the doctor's descent into the room was still somewhat of a surprise. In mid turn to leave to call Chin, Steve stumbled over his own two feet to give way to the grim-faced Webber. Briefly arm in arm, the doctor set Steve physically straight before he could reel backwards into the bed.

"No, wait," the doctor patted Steve's shoulder reassuringly. It was apparent that he'd been filled in by staff about the recent goings-on with the Paquins as a hand went up between both he and Steve to prevent what the physician considered unnecessary questioning.

"Doc, we need to talk ...," Steve's mouth flapped and then shut as he was interrupted.

"That will not be necessary, Commander. Let me cut to the chase." Webber pursed his lips while both speaking and absorbing the various mechanical readings humming around his patient. His displeasure was apparent with a few lower than preferred readings, still he continued on his original course of action. "In short, the test results are quite good and I'm having Danny moved to a regular room in another wing before dinner this very afternoon."

"Thank you," Steve's face relaxed, draining nearly of all its recent tension. It in no way replaced his private plans, but the move would separate his partner from the Paquins by a significant buffer space. Then he smiled as the doctor's words sank fully into his brain. "The results are that good then, Doc?"

Interest piqued, Danny eyed the two men while focusing on Webber's face before the physician had time to answer Steve. To him, the approving smile spoke volumes before a satisfied word was uttered into the very air. Yet it took him a few minutes to understand what the doctor was actually describing.

Gesturing towards the chest tube and its companion canister settled below the bed, the smile never left Webber's face as he met Danny's eyes. "The lesion is resolving quite nicely. We'll reconfirm tomorrow with another ultrasound before pulling the tube. I see no reason to believe we'll need to do otherwise, though."

"Seriously?" Danny sighed in relief at the concept of the dreaded chest tube being removed. His fingers continually traced the space near the tips of the white bandages and he felt an almost anxious pang at being rid of the life-saving contraption. The experience had been short of miserable going in and he could only imagine the angst of its removal. Regardless, it would be gone and then he'd be one step closer to going home as well.

"What's going on? Daddy?" The soft lilt echoed lightly from behind all of them and Danny smiled before he even could catch sight of his daughter. Taller figures parted to permit Grace access to her father as she released Kono's hand, her eyes full of a dark concern. Relieved to find no evidence of Mark's mother anywhere in the vicinity, she was still overly cautious about her father's health and the number of people surrounding the bed, especially one very important doctor and a familiar nurse. "Danno? Are you okay?"

"Perfect, Monkey. Doctor Webber says I get a regular room today. Before dinner." Once again Danny's voice was muffled under an obtrusive oxygen mask. But having removed the device himself and upon getting worked up over Beth Paquin's threats, his oxygen saturation levels had dropped considerably. Calmer now and able to regain his breath much more easily, the mask moved along with his ever-growing smile.

"A regular room?" Grace asked with a tentative grin. "You're better then? Nothing ... happened?" Her astuteness made Steve frown unhappily, as did her attempt at a circumspect glance for reassurance in his direction. However, the confirmation of her question came from Doctor Webber's broad hand being placed happily on the top of her head and all worry left her eyes. Understanding now that the test results had indeed been very good, Danny's next explanation validated that fact to bring a beaming smile to her lips. But Grace's mouth fell open when he told her that the frightening tube would also soon be gone.

"It  _could_  be gone. Maybe tomorrow after a test like today's to make sure things are healed up," Danny said, much to her delight since she had given the intimidating equipment a very wide berth.

"Then your dad has to continue his breathing exercises, as well as walk a bit more. With any luck, he can go home as early as Monday," Webber added, with an amused introspective sniff as all surprised eyes turned his way.

"Monday?" His disbelief more than evident, Danny breathed out the word at the suggested milestone. Unconsciously, his fingers found the edge of tape near the chest tube which he began to worry at again. He glanced to Steve who by now, was also openly smiling. All the recent tribulations of Beth Paquin were duly swept under the proverbial table as Doctor Webber calmly offered what seemed like reams of good news.

"You'll be discharged after a final x-ray along with my orders which I expect you to follow to the letter," Doctor Webber blithely explained. His attitude made it clear that said breathing exercises, careful activity and follow-up visits would be on his personal docket. Danny nodded to indicate full agreement while the date was fairly confirmed. "But yes ... I'm setting Monday as that tentative goal."

"Monday." Danny repeated to Steve whose silent response was purely a nonchalant shrug in Grace's direction indicating his apparent ease in caring for the little girl. But that only brought another thought to mind and Danny suddenly frowned. Beth Paquin's threats were raw, as were his own concerns should any come to legal fruition. He fought the tightness across his neck and shoulders again forcing himself to remain calm wholly for Grace's sake. Because of his daughter though, Danny was obligated to care for her needs first and foremost. Contacting her mother about his current state of affairs was an unfortunate necessity, especially if the media reports about the accident reached Nevada. Dealing with his daughter first, he would compartmentalize the ' _Paquin issue'_  to manage that as a completely separate problem.

"Did you call Rachel for me? About ... you know ... what happened here? On the beach?" Danny's questions were aimed entirely at Steve who stammered awkwardly for a long moment. Coming on such close heels to their private conversation, Danny forced his tone to be normal and his face to move from a scowl to something resembling a benign pleasantness entirely with Grace in mind.

"Umm. Well, no. Not yet." Thrown briefly, Steve admitted the gaffe with a pained wince. "I ran out of time, Danny. I'm sorry."

To be fair, the prior day had been a total bust requiring Steve to focus not only on Danny's welfare, but Grace's as well. Difficult verbal attacks by the Paquins had been a complete and utter distraction thwarting any other plans he might have originally looked into. Now Saturday afternoon, things again were rapidly changing as Danny's condition was upgraded in lightning speed. He was surprised though by Danny's calm, approving nod.

"Okay. It's fine." Holding his hand out to Grace, Danny smiled reassuringly as he rubbed her knuckles to take away her equally guilty expression. It wasn't as if Grace had forgotten to call her mother; once more, time and unexpected obstacles were merely getting the best of all them. The task was for him to manage now and Danny kissed her fingers to make her grin more.

"Grace and I will call her mom together; but I'm thinking that as of right now, Rachel doesn't have to rush home? I mean Stan and Rachel were coming back to Oahu late on Monday anyway. It's a holiday and Grace has school on Tuesday. If I'm out of here on Monday, what's a day going to do?" Gazing steadfast at Steve and hoping he derived his meanings, Danny nodded in relief as his partner carefully couched his reply.

"I agree, Danno. Grace can stay with me. As can you once you're released. There's no need for Rachel and Stan to change their plans only to get here one day early; it makes no sense. Who knows what flights they'd be able to get with everyone traveling." Contributing now to the wise train of thought, Steve quickly chimed in to set expectations. His agreement with Danny about the rest of the weekend put Grace entirely at ease. Mentally too, Steve was eagerly absorbing the free time for himself and what he planned for Chin to additionally focus on. "Monday's a holiday so no foul there. We'll get her to school on Tuesday morning. With time zones and length of travel, it's a hassle for Rachel to try to manipulate flights to just gain one day when you're going to be released so soon. It makes no sense to upset the apple cart."

Danny was smiling under the oxygen mask as Steve finished a rush of words that had slowly picked up their speed at a nearly inappropriate pace. But the mood had lightened as priorities were established and order was put to what had once been an emotional disarray.

"You know, you guys, I'd love to take Grace to school," Kono chimed in. "We can have more girl-talk. Right, Grace?" Her sly wink made Grace giggle at whatever mild private joke the two had going on amongst themselves and Danny softly chuffed in amusement.

"Do not make my child a champion surfer, Kalakaua," Danny warned around a smile. His finger strayed into the air to scold his friend, causing Grace to giggle even louder. "It's much too dangerous!"

"No way, brah," eyebrows raised mockingly, Kono chided back lightly. Her coy comment kept Grace in giggles and briefly left Danny speechless as he wondered what subject matter could be so secretive. "Surfing is child's play compared to what we were talking about."

"Child's play? Surfing?" Pursing his lips under the oxygen mask, Danny looked to Steve for help as his daughter laughed out right. The dramatic plaintive returned shrug was just as perplexed though and Danny wound up tapping the air in Grace's direction. "You. No boys. No makeup. No bikinis. Piercings ... and definitely no tattoos!"

"Danno!" Grace gasped, laughing into her hand. Kono was laughing too now as the laundry list of forbidden activities continued until Danny needed to stop talking to retain his air and Webber clucked dramatically over his head when his oxygen saturation levels slightly dipped.

"Good, it's settled then." Smiling broadly as the conversation naturally ceased in the room, Steve finally felt as if a few things were reaching a satisfactory state. The mood amongst them all seemed freer and less strained as Webber completed his instructions and explained the orders to come which would get Danny back on his feet.

Steve sensed Danny staring at him again, but this time he held his tongue. The smug smile aimed at his partner as the final member of the Five-0 team swung lazily into the room was telling. Chin rocked to a halt as certain eyes turned his way.

"Uh. What did I miss?" Chin queried, torn at maintaining his smile by the multiple grinning faces which were neutralized by Steve's obvious severity despite an outwardly relaxed posture.

"Settled, Danno." Steve reiterated his last statement despite the mixed company. The double meaning behind what might be  _settled_  was clearly communicated between the two friends. Not so far below the surface, Steve's plans to have Chin Ho investigate the Paquin family were soon to be put into motion.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

 

"It's odd," Chin drawled into the speaker phone at the Five-0 offices. He had stayed at the hospital through the afternoon and into the early evening hours. By then, Danny had been settled into his new room. While he and Grace called Rachel together, Steve had brought the cousins up-to-speed on every aspect of the ugly confrontations.

Each had been incensed by the depth of the woman's hatred; stunned and then alternately worried for Grace when Steve told them about the purple beanbag toy. Anxious to do more, still the team and Grace had been reluctant to leave; only drifting away as Danny lost his battle to remain awake compounded by Doctor Webber's personal vows that no one untoward would be disturbing his patient's rest.

The office had been Chin's first stop despite the late hour. The obstacles he was running into related to the long holiday weekend and a significant lack of human resources available wherever he turned. Certain public record were obvious, but others required human intervention and besides the time, the federal holiday was proving to be a challenge.

 _"What's odd, Chin?"_  He was on the phone with Steve who had quietly put Grace to bed after what had turned into another long day. As Danny had anticipated, things were fine with Rachel in the short-term and they both agreed that there was no need for her to rush back for a lone twenty-four hour block of time. Even Grace had chimed in happily with her full agreement about staying with her Uncle Steve. Now those other issues preying so heavily on Danny's mind were to be put to bed long before they might metastasize.

"'I'm going to ask Kono to help in the morning. What's strange though is this offshore account in Beth Paquin's maiden name with a respectable amount of cash squirreled away." Once the situation had been explained to him, Chin had been hard at work dissecting each of the two adult Paquins. Roger Edward Paquin was coming across as clean in every possible way. A college graduate with a degree in mathematics, he'd earned his Master's in financial math and statistics. His job for the City as a Financial Manager provided what could be construed as a nefarious reason for the offshore account, yet Chin was dubious of the man's involvement. Background checks showed nothing out of the ordinary and the man was evidently a good citizen with a solid employment history.

"Deposits are made quarterly and I'm tracing their origin. I'm not sure what I'll be able to turn up," Chin added, before Steve could ask. The enticing carrot had been dangled soon after he'd begun research on the wife and he'd moved quickly away from the family's personal makeup to focus on what appeared to be a truly questionable arrangement. "The deposits are not large enough to draw attention, yet they've added up over a four-year period."

With a deep sigh, Chin hesitated to palm eyes that were now burning from hours of online research. "Four-years means something, too. The Paquins moved here from Michigan shortly after the account seems to have been established. I need Kono to look into their Michigan dealings tomorrow."

It was nearing midnight, and he'd started with the individual adults first. The investigation of Roger Paquin had been straight forward, but Beth's information had diverted a number of times and interestingly so with the advent of the offshore bank account. Hoping to gain ground here, Chin had intentionally remained focused on this most difficult of tasks; asking for assistance through emails and voicemails from State-side resources now no longer in their offices.

"It's a holiday weekend, Steve. I don't know what kind of help I can get even before Tuesday." He didn't mean to sound as if he were lodging an excuse. Chin had sound methods and most were in play, but the timing was more than poor as important contacts vacated the stresses of their normal jobs for the promised relaxation of time with their families.

 _"It's good work, but go home, Chin."_  Steve was intrigued by the findings because the bank account clearly meant something. Like Chin, he was now anxious to learn more, proven when he failed at hiding the disappointment in his voice. Yet, he too was tired after attempting similar tasks in the privacy of his home and meeting obstacles created by a federal holiday.

 _"This is definitely something though and we'll get more."_ Agreeing to end the evening on an optimistic note, Steve made a decision to finally put an end to their long day. Through their shared connection Chin clearly heard the top of Steve's laptop click shut with a solid snick.  _"Go home and we'll continue this tomorrow; maybe some of your inquiries will be returned by then."_

**_~ to be continued ~_ **


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

 

"I understand you moved here from the mainland?" Kono cocked her head inquisitively, hoping her question didn't seem odd after asking about Mark's progress. At first met by silence and then given a hesitant update about his son, Roger Paquin glanced up from studying his hands which cradled a cup of coffee long gone cold. When he returned to studying his fingers, Kono was sure that her attempts at engaging him had failed. But after a moment, he did begin to speak in an unnaturally soft tone of voice.

"Everything was so much better in Michigan. Moving here hasn't solved a single thing. There's no starting over." A small smile flit across his lips at a distant memory he seemed hesitant to explain. He paused again and then offered a small explanation, but it was still disjointed and completely out of context.

"I was on a business trip and Beth was home when it happened. She's always been home and able to mind the kids. A rarity in this day and age. We've been lucky in that regard; at least, we were at one time. Lucky, that is."

His hands were shaking as he finished speaking. Sympathetically, Kono covered them with her own, surprised to find them ice-cold. The monster which Steve had described had dissolved into a grief-stricken man, slump shouldered and hardly antagonistic. Unable to sleep and worried about Danny despite Doctor Webber's assurances, Kono had returned to the hospital in the earliest morning hours. She had woken only to read her cousin's detailed email which further drove her to do something or at least make mental plans on what she might do later that Sunday morning. Now, as she sat across from Mark's father, she was glad of her impulsive mood.

Only fifteen minutes earlier, Kono had poked her head into Danny's room, relieved to find him sleeping. Not even dawn though, she had traipsed down to the cafeteria rather than risk disturbing him. The area was closed but for the most desperate of the coffee and tea aficionados who were undoubtedly craving even the saddest of offerings from machines. It was here she found Mark's father sitting alone in the middle of the otherwise barren room. What had started as a cautious introduction was now yielding a very erratic purging and as Kono merely sat across from the man, tears began to stream down his face.

"I'm sorry, I don't understand what you're talking about. Kids?" Confused, Kono hid her frown to gently coach him. Her initial question about his son's condition and then the inquiry about their migration from the mainland had resulted in the briefest purge of disconnected thought, of which, she couldn't hope to follow. "I thought Mark was an only child? Can you tell me what happened?"

He was deeply lost in the past though and soon shaking his head while choking down a deep sob. Astounded by the rapid change, Kono could only watch spellbound as Roger Paquin completely shut down.

"I'm sorry; I can't do this right now and I've been away from Mark too long. He doesn't like to be alone." Pushing the chair away from the table in a loud screech of noise, Paquin lurched to his feet. His body accidentally bumped the table hard enough that the harsh vibration sloshed cold untouched coffee over the top of his cup to smear the linoleum table top. Before Kono could say another word, he was gone, stumbling back towards the elevators and the intensive care unit to see his son.

Left dumbfounded in the silence of the dimly lit hospital cafeteria, Kono distractedly dabbed at the spilled coffee with a rumpled napkin. Her idle activity didn't last for long though as she pulled her cell phone out from a pocket to send a detailed email to both Chin and Steve. With the sun now rising, she couldn't sit in the confines of Danny's room while he safely slept when such a lead was dropped so teasingly into her lap.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

 

Dozing uncomfortably, Danny focused on listening to the conversations taking place around him. The murmurs alternated from Grace's soft patter, to deeper more serious tones as Chin and Steve quietly discussed the Paquins. He had trouble keeping his eyes open and difficulty paying attention, falling into a light sleep only to jerk awake when he sensed a change in the room as a nurse checked on him or he heard an accidental noise emanating from the hallway. Despite what Kono thought she had witnessed during the dark pre-dawn hours, Danny had been awake most of the night. His difficulty in sleeping peacefully had increased exponentially and his eyes were un-characteristically red-rimmed that morning. Over-tired, he had dwelled on the Paquins and their threats. Using his best imaginings, he had created various scenarios which preyed relentlessly on his mind about Rachel, custody arguments and his daughter. In all, none of his self-created exaggerated stories had ended well. Making these mental ramblings worse, his night had also been a fitful one for the discomfort that the smallest of movements sometimes caused him. Now as the morning wore on and Doctor Webber was due to arrive, his anxiety grew regarding the pending ultrasound and likely removal of the chest tube.

While Grace slowly quieted, Danny dozed more deeply listening to her turn an occasional page in a magazine. The rustling sound of paper against paper was oddly soothing as Steve and Chin continued their soft discussion. The sounds ebbed and flowed to an extent where they merged nonsensically and Danny finally did fall asleep.

"He's sleeping," Grace mouthed to Steve as her hand froze mid-turn of her next page. As worried about her father as both Steve and Chin, she abandoned the magazine to watch his face. He had fallen asleep a few times earlier, only to wake with a start followed by a grimace of pain. Afraid that her movement would disturb him, Grace sat quietly hoping he would truly sleep this time. Instead, his hand moved idly across the white sheets and his face adopted the tell-tale sign of discomfort.

Seconds later, Danny forced his eyes open when the hum of conversation fell into a lull. "What?", he asked while tiredly quirking an eyebrow for emphasis when he found three pairs of worried eyes staring directly at him. "What did I miss?"

"We should go so you can get some sleep," Steve replied, frowning in disapproval when Danny waved off the suggestion. "Seriously, you're exhausted. We can come back in a few hours, Danny."

"No, I'm fine," Danny said, groaning just under his breath as he slightly shifted his shoulders and a sharp pain flared through his chest. He had figured out how to move his legs without too much of a burning pull, but his upper body was an entirely different challenge. Without having to verbalize it, he wouldn't be able to sleep even if left alone. Plus, now that breakfast had been accomplished, there was a promise of soon needing to move from the bed for a prescribed change of pace. He both resented and looked forward to the daunting chore after having managed it twice the prior day. Tiredly tugging on Grace's shirt sleeve, he tried to reassure her worries as her smile faded.

"Stay. I'd rather have the company." Rubbing his face, Danny resigned himself to his current state of affairs. He remembered hearing something about Kono talking to Mark's father and a possibility that there were other children in the household. Rather than dealing with another belligerent confrontation, the man's spontaneous emotional release, as limited as it was, was fascinating and Danny pressed to hear more. "So, tell me. What were you saying about more kids? What did Kono find out?"

"She won't say anything yet," Chin replied, with a great deal of editing since Grace was present. "You know that she won't until there's no doubt in her assessment and she's gathered as much as possible."

He, Steve and Grace had converged at the hospital down to the very second. Together in Danny's room, they had briefly been discussing Kono's somewhat odd email from much earlier that morning. Listening closely in order to distract himself, Danny made a decision as he looked over to his daughter. There was no harm in asking if she'd ever heard of Mark having a sibling.

"So, Monkey. Do you understand what your Aunt Kono is trying to find out?" Danny asked, as Grace sat on his left side content to simply be with him. He grinned when she nodded and murmured a soft yes of understanding. "Have you ever heard Mark mention having brothers or sisters?"

"No, never," she replied easily enough. "He started school here sort of when I did. We were both new together." Stroking her hair with one hand, Danny made a helpless face before wincing as the subtle fidget pulled on the chest tube. Regardless of his physical woes, they'd have to wait until Kono could figure out what a very upset Roger Paquin exactly had been referring to. Closing his eyes tiredly, Danny sank back into the bed unable to control the waves of fatigue which wracked his body. Shortly after, his hand stilled on Grace's hair to land limply by her knee and she grinned at both Chin and Steve.

"He's asleep again," she whispered tolerantly. "He's tired a lot. Should we try to go for a little while?" Quietly, Steve beckoned and Grace slipped off the bed to stand by his side. Grace's idea of  _going_  meant a trip to the cafeteria for a snack which included a fairly quick return. Once Danno was out of sight, the urge to stay away similarly dissipated as Grace became antsy to once more get back to the hospital room.

"Danno had a very bad night," Steve whispered back. Though they'd all been told that Danny would indeed sleep often, it was still a disconcerting experience for the catnaps to come upon him with such ferocity. Witnessing the added pressures caused by an obsessive worry over unfounded threats rankled Steve's mood on his friend's behalf and he itched for Kono's call to happen sooner, rather than later. Sighing regretfully under his breath as they were all forced to wait on their youngest team member, Steve paused as Danny's hand twitched and then lay still next to his side. Despite being given prescribed pain medication, his face was heavily creased by fatigue and an ongoing aura of being generally unwell.

Moving closer to place Grace in the middle of them, Chin murmured in kind as he studied Danny's wan complexion. "He's hurting," he frowned sympathetically when a skittish pained grimace flit across the lined forehead. He paused, but this time Danny remained sleeping. "He's going to be out for a while I think. Hopefully."

The three left together, sneaking out as one with plans to ramble the hospital grounds. Instead, they met Doctor Webber who was pulling along a portable ultrasound machine. Behind him was a nurse toting a variety of medical supplies on a wheeled cart. "He's sleeping, Doc. He had a bad night," Chin explained as he eyed the impressive array. "We were just going for a short break downstairs."

"I'll wake him gently then," Webber noted with a reassuring wink aimed at Grace. "He's going to be so much more comfortable when he gets rid of that chest tube. He won't mind this little interruption. Plus, I was going to ask that you step out for this procedure so the timing is quite right."

Urging the three to leave as planned, Webber and his nurse entered the room quietly to efficiently setup their equipment. For privacy, the nurse closed the door waiting for the doctor's subsequent direction. Patiently waiting, Webber smiled when their presence and activity roused Danny from the short doze. "So, Danny, are you ready for us?"

Bleary-eyed, Danny was surprised to find the two new visitors in place of his friends and daughter. "Hey, Doc." He was sure that he hadn't slept that long as he forced a yawn to be shallow for the sharp ache a deeper inhale caused. Then his reply was simple as he focused on the ultrasound equipment along with the cart of medical supplies indicating what would be to come. "Sure."

"Just as I thought." Only a few minutes later, the doctor was happily humming to himself as he finished the ultrasound. "It's good, Danny." Webber handed the ultrasound wand to his attending nurse. "Are you ready to be rid of your pesky little friend?"

"More than," Danny agreed with an abstract kneading of his shoulder. Now fully reclined in the bed so that the ultrasound could be completed, the tube was rubbing even more harshly against his pleura to send near constant signals of pain into his shoulder, diaphragm and lower back. The doctor had described an instantaneous relief from the aggravating pain once the tube was removed and no longer able to inflame the sensitive membrane. However his concern was the remembered agony experienced at its initial placement.

As the doctor worked, the nurse had neatly arranged what Webber would need next. A simple cutting blade to remove the sutures had already been setup off to the side with clean 4x4 squares of bandages for placement afterwards. Gloves, official looking eye shield, and a clean surgical type gown sat nearby; all of which were for Doctor Webber's use. The man in question smiled reassuringly as he folded his arms to study Danny's face. He'd already explained the process in detail, yet his patient was dubious of it being truly pain free and completed within seconds.

"It hurt like hell going in," Danny remarked warily as Webber continued to smile. "All I have to do is hold my breath and bear down ... just that?"

"I'll tell you when," the doctor affirmed. "I have to remove the old dressing and the sutures which are holding the tube in place. Then, the idea is to not allow air to go in once it's removed; so I'll be very fast. I promise that you'll hardly feel a thing."

"Hardly? How much is hardly?" The wry sniff remained disbelieving, but Danny signaled his readiness as Webber donned his gear and the nurse finally assisted with his gloves.

"No going back now," Webber noted dryly as he carefully removed the old bandages, supporting the tube gently with one hand as he cut the sutures with an uncanny dexterity. He smiled as Danny screwed his eyes closed at the onset of his work, knowing that his patient likely wouldn't look until the entire procedure was accomplished. "Hold your breath for me and bear down now, Danny."

Steadfast and calm, Webber waited the space of two heartbeats to ensure Danny was accomplishing the prescribed tasks. He was patiently at the ready with a Vaseline-silicone 4x4 piece of gauze in hand to cover the small wound. This first layer would then be backed with an even thicker protective piece of gauze padding which would be held in place by industrial strength bandage tape. Watching Danny, his approving nod coincided with the tube being duly pulled out and the clean bandages instantly swiped into place to seal the wound.

Eyes still closed, Danny held his breath and bore down the best he could and waited for the onslaught of pain. There was an odd sensation of movement, a strange tugging, and then ... nothing. He peeked up through his lashes, swearing that Webber was humming his happy senseless tune again as a few pieces of tape were smoothed into place against his skin.

"Done. You can breathe now, too. Normally, please," Webber smirked as Danny blinked oddly up at him. His grin increased as his patient ever so slowly relaxed to expel the weak breath of air he'd been holding. "You'll still have some discomfort but more of an ache as if you've coughed a lot from a cold or flu. Residual soreness so to speak but nothing like what you've had to cope with. And those breathing exercises are critical, Danny. Absolutely critical!"

"Uh huh." Danny eyed the plastic incentive spirometer placed now in his hands after the head of the bed was raised to a comfortable incline. The ridiculous looking device was more toy than tool and yet he was required to inhale from it hourly moving its colorful contents up to prescribed levels marked on its outside. Left without further explanation, he watched in continued awe as the nurse gathered the old chest tube equipment together, along with the original bandages and Webber's now used medical gear which he'd stripped himself of with a practiced ease.

"Ready for visitors? I'm positive that they didn't go far." The smugness continued as Webber opened the door, allowing the nurse to leave ahead of him. He didn't even double check the hallway to confirm that the three had never left the floor for their planned trip to the cafeteria. "Yes?"

"Uh huh," was the unapologetic rejoinder which made Webber chuckle in appreciation.

"Can I say that I told you so?" The physician teased pleasantly. His patient was still doubting the easy completion of what he had anticipated to be a terrible ordeal.

"You can," Danny sniffed, utterly relieved now as he carefully experimented at finding a more comfortable position in bed with scarcely a flicker of biting pain. Catching the doctor's eye as the grievous equipment left his sight, he tentatively tested his ability to take a deeper breath. Inhaling slowly, he noted the continued feeling of tightness accompanied by a more manageable ache and smiled. "It's better. And ... uh ... walk later, right?"

"Short trips would do you well, Danny. After lunch would be a goal and please ... please ... use that hourly," Webber confirmed while again pointing to the incentive spirometer. But recognizing his patient's level of fatigue, he dimmed the room in favor of the natural light coming in from the one window. "Get some rest now though."

Upon leaving, the doctor instantly came face to face with Steve, Chin and Grace who had all remained huddled impatiently in the corridor outside Danny's room. They had seen the nurse leave and were obviously loitering to hear the affirmative results. As worried as their friend, Webber had to comically roll his eyes towards the ceiling before taking Grace's hand, himself.

"Well, go on," Webber gently urged Grace towards the room first. Surprised when she hesitated uncertainly, he bent down to her level with a warm smile. "What are you waiting for? He's probably going to take a nap. But first, he has this nifty toy to show off called an incentive spirometer. Make sure he uses it every hour he's awake, alright, Grace? It's very, very important."

"Okay. Spy-ROM-eter. Got it," she quickly agreed, disappearing down the hall with a happy bounce which sent her ponytail flying behind.

"She's a pistol that one," Webber chuckled before turning towards Steve and Chin. "Now, you two. Shoo." The doctor dramatically waved his hands at both Steve and Chin, earning him a dual set of pleased grins. "I'd like you to encourage him to get some sleep now. But he's fine ... go see for yourselves."

_**~ to be continued ~** _


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

 

"Crap," Kono breathed out without any other appropriate word coming to mind. She'd been researching the Paquins for hours based on the smallest dregs provided personally by Mark's father. It was well past lunch and she'd purposefully ignored the chime of her cell phone to continue on her work until she called Steve back out of pure emotional necessity. Her pleasure upon hearing that Danny's latest test results were continuing down a positive path was surpassed only by what she felt when she was told the chest tube was removed.

However, she'd not shared too much of her initial findings because they were solely driven by gut instinct of knowing something was wrong. Now, she was glad that she had waited. In fact, she'd wait even longer now as small successes began to yield even more startling results. Without enough proof to satisfy herself though, she asked for more time promising to call within two hours even if her status hadn't changed. But it certainly had as she dove even deeper.

Now, this most recent chime of her phone was different to signal a text message and she deigned to look to see that Chin and Steve were leaving the hospital for the afternoon since Danny was finally in a true sound sleep. One he was desperately overdue for if Webber were to permit him release the next day.

"Good," Kono whispered to herself as her eyes flew back to her computer screen and she read an old press release. "Now we have one more thing to put to bed. Permanently. So Roger, you worked as the budget manager for the Sloan campaign. And that esteemed, one time District Representative Sloan is now a very successful State Senator Sloan. Duly voted in by the good people of Michigan."

Gritting her teeth in determination, she hunkered down to ensure she made no mistakes as her fingers flew over the keyboard. It took over an hour but soon, she had hit the tip of a veritable mother lode. Some of what she'd found would be considered here-say, while other details were completely irrelevant in the legal arena. Eventually as a particular realization slowly dawned, the ethical ramifications were overwhelming to any normal person ... especially to any normal, caring parent.

Kono paused, hissed in shock and then hit keys to back up and start over finally revealing an obituary. The biography was as short as the second Paquin child's young age and didn't explain the how or why as to the mode of passing. But it proved that Mark did have a sibling at one time.

"Oh, no. That can't be true ... that can't be right." She checked dates and other references three times, blinking in shock to realize what it all meant. Falling back in her chair, Kono stared at the simple words on the screen refusing to cry until she regained enough control to continue.

 _"Moving here hasn't solved a single thing. There's no starting over,"_ Roger's words echoed endlessly on. Now even more diligent, she needed to know without a shadow of a doubt how it all happened.

"But tell me Roger, were you really on a business trip?" Kono muttered while replaying Roger's morose voice over in her head. She wondered, but perversely believed that he had been. She believed the man with the very core of her being; made more committed when she found the pictures.

"You bitch," her next comment was coarse and even surprised herself as she virtually pinned her nose to the computer screen while hitting the photo imaging print button. "You absolute ... bitch!" The photos of the Senator's holiday ball from almost five years earlier was grainy, but Kono devoured what she saw. The event pre-dated the obituary but that day's tragedy was directly related.

 _"She's always been home and able to mind the kids."_ They were almost the last things which Roger had vented with such a whimsical trust.  _Almost_  except for the word ' _lucky_ ' and Kono growled in anger. With a woman's intuition, she knew where the money had come from and why. She knew and she was in tears as she pounded away in a fury. Focused and not willing to budge an inch from her perch, Kono started a timeline of events that she hoped would finalize a package of rather damning evidence against Beth Paquin.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

 

Danny had finally hit his physical wall and it was blatantly obvious when he insisted on a visit to the bathroom to regain some of his personal dignity. On his return trip to the bed, his slippered feet skittered unevenly as the floor seemed to swell like a rippling wave. Losing his sense of equilibrium to a multitude of unpleasant sparkling lights, his left hand searched wildly for the wall at the same time Steve intercepted the pending collapse.

"Whoa, Danny," Steve whispered as he grabbed Danny's forearms to prop him up against the wall before his knees could buckle all the way to the tiled linoleum. "I know the nurse said it was fine, but maybe it was too soon, huh?"

Rather than answering the obvious, Danny closed his eyes trusting that Steve would keep him up until he could regain the stamina he needed to continue. "Grace is still in the hall with Chin. Let me know when you're ready and enough is enough, Danno. Your daughter doesn't need to witness your epic face-plant, buddy. You really need to get some decent shut-eye."

He was on board with the order as he peeled his eyes back open and signaled his readiness. Being able to freshen up on his own had topped off a morning of pleasant successes and the short trip was worth the current effort. But Danny knew he should sleep and now it was something he craved with every fiber of his being.

"Feels good though..." Danny tiredly grinned as his partner guided him back to first sit on the edge of the bed. He was sore and a dull ache in his chest reminded him that he was still healing, but the aggravating harshness was completely alleviated. His short demonstration of the incentive spirometer had been another reminder of his limitations as only one of the colorful balls budged in the plastic device much to his chagrin. Grace had been stunned as much as he had been by the penultimate failure. "...having that thing out feels good." Danny repeated in retort to Steve's not so tolerant sigh. He felt much better, but he had a way to go with a decent sleep at the top of the current list. "I know this may cramp your style ... but do me another favor? Please?"

"Cramp my style?" Steve made an odd noise in his throat, already indicating that whatever the favor might be, it would be far from that particular truth. "What do you need?"

"Get Grace out of here for the rest of the day," Danny gestured idly over his shoulder where the sun was streaming in through the blinds of the window. "This is no place for her to be every single minute, Steve. I'm fine and it's not necessary."

"And that favor was going to cramp my style?" Smiling, Steve dropped his hand on Danny's shoulder. "I'll just adapt, Danno. I'll make my ten-mile swim a five and take Gracie along. After, I'll see how far we can race up the Haiku staircase. I'll back off on her, but I'm sure she'll love it."

"You're a complete idiot," Danny snarked back failing at biting back a careful laugh. "Keep her whole, Steven."

"Always, Danno," Steve vowed, still laughing as he helped his friend back into bed. "Now shut up and go to sleep. We'll come back after dinner and show you all the pictures."

"Idiot," Danny snorted a soft chuckle as his eyes began to close.

"Sleep!" Steve's voice echoed in the room for a moment as another rustling sound forced Danny's eyes to blearily reopen. Holding one finger to her lips, Grace's beaming face swam into view with Chin hovering just in the background. With a quiet giggle, a kiss was laid soothingly on his cheek and before she could move, Danny had cupped his hand behind her head to do the same. Then the three were tiptoeing out as Danny's eyes closed in earnest.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

 

Mark was crying, though he was bravely trying to hide that fact. He had been moved to a regular private room which was a very good thing. However, his mother was standing near the foot of his bed lambasting one of his doctors while simultaneously threatening Grace's father. Plagued by headaches and blurry vision, his back was badly wrenched and cut by rock when he fell backwards into the ocean. But he wasn't worried about any of these things; he was embarrassed and even mortified by what his mother was saying.

"It was my fault," Mark caught his father's eye, his own expression as stricken as his son's. He whispered to his father who heard him yet only held his hand up to forestall more of his upset pleas. "But, it was. Dad. Please?"

"Get some rest, son." His father tried to give him a supportive smile, but failed as his wife's voice began to climb again. Wincing at the tone, Mark remembered every bit of what had happened up until he fell yet he was duly silenced. Instead, he could only run his fingers in frustration over the purple dolphin beanbag which was now damp with his own sweat. An earlier conversation regarding his promised visit to the forensics laboratory had resulted in hissed angry threats from his mother who denied the truth behind every promise one Detective Daniel Williams had made that fateful morning. Now she was mad about his care or his small toy or something he didn't care to understand because it wouldn't matter anyway. While everything seemed to be  _about_  him, nothing was really being done  _for_  him ... the way he really needed. No one even asked.

"I think your son needs to rest now Mrs. Paquin," the physician, Doctor Webber was stern and never smiled to anyone except to Mark. He had seen the lone tear escaping down the little boy's cheek and intervened again with a solemn wink as Mark sadly looked up at him. "He's very tired and needs his rest. Why don't you both take a break and grab lunch?"

Unable to smile in return as Doctor Webber firmly lodged his request, Mark dropped his eyes back to his toy, pulling on the finned tail until the seams might pop. He felt his mother walk over to stand next to him, she gently unwound his fingers from the toy but he refused to look up.

"Do you want me to go, Mark? Are you tired? Do you want to sleep?" For once, her voice was softer and even caring. In reality, Mark didn't really doubt that she cared for him; at least not entirely. They were just too broken to be right any more. So he could only sit there and stare blindly at the purple dolphin. He closed his eyes when her fingers strayed across his cheek to wipe his tears but there was nothing else. He heard her sigh and then his father was leaning closer to give him a kiss and pull the top blanket up around his waist. Glassy-eyed, Mark gazed up as his father pushed his hair off his forehead.

"Doctor Webber's right. We'll just be downstairs getting lunch," his father whispered gently. "Close your eyes and try to sleep a bit. Things will be better when you wake up and maybe we can go outside for a walk. Maybe we can get a wheelchair and sit in the sun for a bit."

He didn't want to be alone but he couldn't bear the arguing which made the uncomfortable thudding in the back of his head pick up a terrible tempo. Wishing that either his father would just stay alone with him, but knowing that wouldn't happen, Mark closed his eyes. He heard them leave and knew that they thought he was being obedient. However, he was shutting the adults completely out to visit with someone he missed more than any other person in the world. Here, he tried to come up with a plan to find a safer place ... a quieter place where he didn't have to think so very hard or be so frightened.

"Mark." The side of the bed dipped just as Mark was losing himself in the comforting dream. He heard Doctor Webber's voice once and then twice more, finally opening his eyes to stare up into the physician's kind face. "Do you feel alright? Do you need anything?"

Silently, Mark shook his head no. What he wanted, no one could help him with; of that, he was sure. The tilt to his head proved that Webber wasn't entirely convinced, but he didn't push too hard for more and Mark was relieved.

"I'm going to be here all day if you need anything or just want to talk," Webber gently prodded. He waited patiently but the boy still didn't say a single word. Tapping the purple dolphin which Mark refused to put down for any reason, the doctor insisted on one more thing because of what his mother's had so defensively said. "Remember that what happened was an accident. Everyone knows it was an accident, Mark. And don't forget that I told you Detective Williams is fine and going home tomorrow. You're going home soon, too, once you feel better."

For that, Mark's eyes lodged deeply onto Webber's, darkly worried and even scared, he looked as if he might cry again. "Is he really okay?" His tightly choked whisper was hesitant and Webber ignored the tears to send the important message home.

"Yes, he's fine and the Detective has also been asking about you," Webber lightly shared. It was the truth and as far as he would go. His goal was to pacify the boy and get him to sleep versus dwell so very sadly on whatever it was he refused to share.

"Detective," Mark whispered as if enthralled with the word. He had called Grace's father  _mister_  and now he was understanding the bigger significance of the title and he liked it. It was more than being a plain police officer and seemed much more important. Once again he found himself wanting to visit the forensics lab and learning more about the dangerous weapon he'd found. Ignoring his mother's angry voice which rattled his brain, Mark stared back at Webber asking for confirmation. "He's a real detective?"

The chuffed laugh was soft as Webber nodded. "He sure is and he's fine. So what I want you to do is remember that and get some sleep."

"Okay," glassy-eyed from tears and fatigue, Mark finally smiled. Still ever vigilant over his young patient, Webber relaxed as he idly measured the twelve-year old's face. Lingering, he occupied himself in the room with senseless tasks until he was sure Mark had truly fallen asleep. Then his own face fell into a learned darkness as he strode silently from the room to deal with the reason for Mrs. Paquin's most current fit of rage. He had a stronger need to discuss the family with the social worker he'd called in for consult.

_**~ to be continued ~** _


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter Sixteen**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

 

"He can't be gone!" Beth Paquin was trembling in a rage with hospital security surrounding her. This time though, it wasn't to escort her from property grounds with a warning.  _This time_ , her son was missing and an aggressively active search had yet to locate him. Turning on the closest security guard, she slammed her knuckles roughly into his chest almost screeching her demands. "You find him! You find him ... now!"

"We're scouring the hospital and the grounds, Mrs. Paquin," the Chief of Security said as he jogged to join the group near their boy's room. Rudely taking her by the arm, he separated her from his staff member. "No one is getting in or out until we locate Mark."

"He couldn't have gone far." Webber sounded the fool as he virtually spun in place. He was also upset and confused by Mark's illicit vanishing act. "The hospital's been locked down and we have both security and staff searching every possible room."

"Maybe someone took him? Could that have happened?" At a loss, Roger Paquin vacillated between his wife's brand of anger and a gut-wrenching fear that something had truly happened to his son. "He wouldn't just leave ... why would he do that?"

Heaving in a shuddering breath, Webber shook his head. On the tip of his tongue was a scathing comment about Mark's unknown trauma; something more than the shooting accident. Instead, he simply answered the man with the simple truth. "No, no. He wasn't taken."

When the physician had first left the room, Mark had been sleeping. He'd stayed sleeping soundly for a solid three hour block of time, waking in time for dinner. Yet when the nurse went in for another standard check on the heels of the food tray having been delivered, the boy was gone from the rumpled bed.

"Find him," Beth Paquin hissed into each face. "Go and find him ... why are you just standing here?"

"I assure you that no one is just standing around," the Chief snarled back. He'd had enough of the acerbic woman from the first volatile run-in. Inhaling deeply to control his rising temper, he focused on the missing twelve-year old and the organized facts of the matter. "We have teams of two in each section of the hospital beginning with this closest area. They have orders to fan out in a search pattern until they find him."

"There's a main checkpoint," Webber nodded towards the chief asking for his affirmation. Impatient with the lack of progress and upset for his patient, his proposal was more of a demand and he ignored the belligerent set to Beth Paquin's chin. "I suggest you both go there and wait. You'll just be in the way."

Without waiting for a reply, Webber left the two to security to join the staff searching for the wayward child.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

 

"What's going on?" Danny asked a passing nurse as he slowly paced the length of the floor his room was on. He'd slept the entire afternoon and had just finished a light dinner before feeling up to taking his mandatory stroll. Based on the time, he could expect to see Grace and Steve within an hour's time and he wanted to get his personal chore accomplished in order to extend a proper visit. Passing a nurse's station though, he'd begun to notice the flurry of activity increasing as phones rang and orderlies or nurses alike seemed to go on a high state of alert. To him, the change was much more than subtle as teams of hospital staff seemed to ebb and flow at an intense rate. "Excuse me, but what's happening?"

"You should return to your room, sir," she replied without apology for her brusqueness which continued as she physically took his arm as if to guide him there before realizing she had no idea where he'd come from. "Actually, I have to ask that you do go back. Which room are you in?"

"420," Danny breathed quizzically as he allowed himself to be turned, but then refused to follow. He measured her anxious expression and then looked once more around at the distressed level of activity which clearly signaled some sort of emergency was in progress. An emergency that was definitely not a drill. "My name is Danny Williams, I'm a detective with Five-0 and I need to know what's going on."

"What? Five-0?" At first stunned by the change in his demeanor, the nurse tugged his arm and then paused as his words sunk in. She hesitated longer as telephones rang faintly in the background and then her own cell phone vibrated in her pocket. She made an odd sound as she gazed at his hospital gown covered with a simple white bathrobe and frowned.

"Tell me," Danny prodded. "Something is wrong and I need to know what it is; I might be able to help."

Her free hand strayed to her cell phone. She'd already missed the first call. When it started to vibrate again, she glanced down and shook her head with eyes full of a stressed worry. "Listen. Okay. We're looking for a patient who's gone missing for about twenty minutes now; a young boy."

"What?" It was Danny's turn to be stunned for a moment. Yet, he knew who it was immediately and he pulled out of the nurse's hand only to firmly take hers to still her movement. A familiar itch to know more brought ingrained instincts to the top, along with a need to be active. But then again this was different because it was personal. "Mark Paquin? Is it Mark?"

"Uh ... how did you know?" The nurse wasn't familiar with him or the reasons behind his hospitalization.

Danny only shrugged with a slight humorless smile. "I'm a detective," he declared softly. "Are we on lockdown? No one in or out?" Danny waited for the affirmative nod and smiled in approval. From that point he was done with her current usefulness and so, released her hand. The nurse backed up a step with her hand clutching her cell phone. Now for a third time, it was vibrating again and she was answering it in a rush. Taking the opportunity, Danny turned to resume his original route which was away from his room.

"Sir!" Her anxious voice resonated him but she wasn't following him as other orders pulled her elsewhere. "Sir, I don't think ..."

"It's fine." Cutting the nurse off, his parting words dismissed her as much as made clear he had no intention of returning to his bed. He was well down the hallway by then, forgetting his initial weariness as adrenalin took over to guide his feet. He was sure that the nurse never heard his last sentence for the mumble he fell into, already distracted by a new objective. "Thank you ... it's all good. I'm fine and I'll get myself back ... when I'm ready."

Danny didn't think he'd be that lucky but he needed to try. Slowly making his way even further down the corridor he watched the organized chaos taking place around him. He also tried to envision where a boy might go ... one that was afraid and perhaps very, very lost. Leaning on the hallway rail installed for patients such as him, Danny watched and waited. He was near a T-junction and above his head one stairwell was clearly marked as an emergency exit. He frowned when two orderlies jogged past the door and then moved forward with a careful purpose.

Stopping often, Danny rubbed his chest and leaned heavily on the metal banister as he took one careful step at a time. Adrenalin could do so much and he was now overdoing the prescribed regimen for his simple walk based upon his breathlessness and the sweat now beading his forehead. "It's four lousy floors," Danny complained as he diligently took one step at a time. By the time he got to the bottom, he was wheezing on each measured inhale.

"Mark?" Thinking he heard something he paused on the main floor, scowling when he was met by silence. The exit to the outside world was a standard heavy metal fire door with the requisite warnings about alarms going off should the door be opened. For an injured twelve-year old, it would be a major effort to open. Making a chuffed sound under his breath, Danny realized he'd also have issues with the heavy door based on the state of his own wounded chest and he shook his head in disgust.

Brushing the sweat off his face while leaning against the plain concrete wall, Danny closed his eyes and assumed his stairwell had already been cleared. Overheated by exertion, he was breathing erratically as he tried to protect his chest. And now, the dull ache had worsened to settle deeply in his lower back. He didn't relish the idea of returning the way he'd come but he could go up one flight and take an elevator. Struggling to stand and opting for a hunched posture, Danny resentfully eyed the first step. But as he moved forward, he heard the faint sound again. A clearer echo of a muffled sniffle ... possibly even a stifled sob followed by the same deafening silence. "Mark? It's Danny ... Grace's father."

"Go ... away," the broken voice startled Danny. It came from a hollow depth and he cocked his head in bewilderment until he realized that Mark was hiding behind the frame of the metal staircase.

"Hey, Mark." Utterly relived, Danny peered around the corner into the dark cubby. When his eyes became accustomed to the murky shadows, he saw Mark standing forlornly in his white hospital gown rending what looked like an abused purple toy between his fingers. Tears stained his cheeks and he only moved as if to hide even deeper in the shadows under the staircase. Behind its metal framework, the last flight created a useless secretive hollow. It was relatively clean but for a few scattered cigarette butts; evidence of those taking fast illicit personal breaks within hospital walls. Briefly closing his eyes, Danny inhaled carefully to limit the pull on his healing chest before resolutely walking forward. Mark wasn't going anywhere and despite body language that might argue otherwise, the boy needed a champion.

"Come here." Gently, Danny took Mark's free hand, instantly worried about the clammy nature of his skin. With his own injuries in mind, Danny slid down the rear wall just inside the shadows forcing Mark to follow until he too was sitting. But rather than leaving the trembling child on the cold concrete floor, Danny maneuvered him into his lap so that bare legs draped over his left side. While the majority of Mark's weight was on his left, the position undeniably hurt the right. However, Danny ignored the discomfort in lieu of the sobbed half-sigh as Mark cautiously relaxed into his chest so that the top of his bandaged head was just under Danny's chin.

"You're okay, buddy." Falling into a patter of soft murmurs, Danny rolled the fingers of his right hand in small circles over Mark's back. His touch was feather light as he remembered the deep tissue damage incurred by the boy's backwards tumble off the rocks. Skirting softly, Danny used his fingertips to dip back and forth as softly as possible to offer comfort.

"Take it easy and try to calm down. Everything's going to be okay." Needing to close his eyes longer to control his own breathing and beat back the threat of a solid ache, Danny didn't ask the twelve-year old any ridiculous questions about where he thought he might be going or what he thought he was going to do. The boy's flight was purely prompted by a deep emotional purge and a desire to hide. Based on his hunched posture, Mark was also in pain and struggling badly because of it.

"I ... I want ... my brother." Mark's voice cracked so badly on the last word, Danny wasn't sure he heard him correctly. His hand never stilled in its task as he provided support and waited for someone to find them. In a type of shock, Mark was shaking uncontrollably and cold sweat was leaking into Danny's chest no matter his own body heat.

"Your brother?" Danny prompted softly, finally getting first-hand evidence of another child in the Paquin family. He thought it might have been a gap in their information. Something which none of them had a real need to know and yet now it was important. Whatever Kono might have found could be substantiated; and if she'd found nothing, then Mark was providing critical information of a brother who could be older or even younger in age. But before he could ask, Mark's next shuddering comments were a complete shock and certainly not the stunning revelation he'd anticipated.

"She ... hates me," Mark whimpered as he tucked himself deeper into Danny's chest. Nearly incomprehensible, each word came out brokenly sobbed leaving Danny utterly confused. "She hates me because ... I killed ... him."

"Your mother? No, I doubt that's true." Mind racing about Beth Paquin, Danny whispered the first thing that came spontaneously from his mouth. "She doesn't hate you, Mark." Regardless of the most obscene of reasons, he also highly doubted that a child would kill another so his words sought to soothe before gently urging Mark for more information. The boy's reaction alone was full of sadness, remorse and confusion; Danny fully believed that whatever had happened wasn't entirely Mark's doing at all and it completely explained the pain amongst each of the living family members. "You need to tell me what happened, Mark. Maybe I can help. What's your brother's name?"

"Allen." The one name sent a new bout of trembling through small shoulders and Danny abandoned his vain soothing circles to cuddle the boy more warmly into his lap. Based on what he was seeing alone, whatever had happened had been another horrific accident in Mark's short life. To make it worse, the twelve-year old not only believed he'd killed his brother, but also that his mother hated him for it.

"How old was Allen when you lost him?" Danny hugged him gently still, taking him in so he'd feel safer and silently praying the cold trembling would eventually cease. Better yet, that they'd be found as the search continued within the hospital.

"He's my twin brother. He ... was eight like me ... we were eight. Now we're twelve." Bouncing between past and present, Mark couldn't seem to settle on where to place his lost brother. "He fell ... from the tree ... in the ... yard. He fell because ... I couldn't get ... down. He fell ... because ... of me."

Mentally Danny breathed a stunned exclamation. Twins. One had died leaving the other in turmoil. Now he knew some things made sense because really the family was in free fall having never recovered from the tragedy. Beth Paquin almost made sense as a desperately grieving mother. But her other son was clearly equally damaged and both parents were unable to help him. Danny's mind whirled to fill in gaps as Mark quaked in his lap, now clutching at Danny's sleeve as if he could meld his small body fully into the larger man's for comfort.

"Allen went up to help you? Then ... he slipped? Is that it?" Danny questioned, somewhat relieved when a soft affirmative made its way up to his ears. "It was an accident, Mark. How could you think you did this?"

"The branch ... it cracked ... splintered ... he fell. Allen fell." Mark's fingers were now glued into Danny's hospital gown while he tucked the bedraggled purple beanbag dolphin to his lips. Unable to see his face, Danny could guess that his eyes were closed at memories that would never let the boy rest. He'd watched his twin fall and literally die in front of him. Now one half was left of what had likely been a very happy whole.

"Mark, it's okay," Danny whispered. "Try to calm down."

"Should have been ... me." The plaintive whine was fraught with grief and Danny found himself shushing the boy in his arms as he began to weakly struggle. Hissing under his breath, Danny winced as the motion rattled his side and sent another deeper spasm into his back.

"Shh, no. Stay here with me and try not to move so much. You're okay," Danny grimaced as Mark shook his head and still tried to get up. Fingers plucked at Danny's arm as Mark tried to get free, sobbing when he failed.

"I'm not going to let you go, buddy," he whispered repetitively until Mark finally ceased moving. Unable to rock him for his own wounds, Danny could only hold him tightly until he relaxed. Attempting to contradict years of self-blame, Danny could only make inane noises and voice mild a reprimand. "Don't talk like that."

"He was ... better." Cold tremors made Mark shudder as he tried to explain; frustrated when Grace's father denied him that negative belief, too. "He ... he could ... do anything. I can't ... I can't do anything ... right."

"None of that's true, Mark." Danny shook his head in dismay. He was almost out of his league in trying to give Mark what he truly needed. He wondered if anything had ever been done for the boy. Certainly not enough had been attempted even for the parents since no one member of the family was coping.

"I don't know everything about what happened, but I really don't believe it was your fault." Danny's voice was full of conviction. Twins or not; boys or girls, siblings were oftentimes naturally competitive and sometimes even brutally so. "Why do you think Allen was better than you?"

The one-shouldered shrug lamely struggled through Mark's shivering body. "He was just ... better. He could climb better than me. Play sports better than me." Mark paused only to sob and choke out his perceptions. "I'm always afraid and wanted ... I wanted ... to do it ... he made fun of me ... I tried ... I don't like high places ... but I tried and got stuck. Then, he fell."

Danny unconsciously smirked at the final bit of truth. Teasing was part of growing up. He'd certainly done his share to antagonize his own younger brother, Matt. Evidently, Mark had enough of teasing and took the challenge of climbing the tree head on. He'd gotten stuck in its heights. Afraid to go higher or afraid to come down Mark had stalled in place. And as any other sibling would have done, Allen had gone up to help him. Perhaps he'd still even been teasing Mark or maybe he'd felt bad at the results. Allen could have even cheered Mark on, disappointed then in his brother's ultimate failure. No one but Mark would know that and at eight-years old, he might not have understood Allen at all or recall the whole truth.

"How did you get down, Mark? After Allen fell ... what happened?" He didn't want to ask the question, but suddenly Danny felt the answer would be critical to the entire terrible story. Mark was silent though for the longest time. He stay cradled in Danny's arms just breathing heavily through his mouth as tremors shook him from top to bottom. Danny waited him out, patiently and now switching his prayers to have just a few more minutes of time with the boy as he heard the faint click of a door a few floors above. As he had hoped, searchers began to investigate where they huddled together on the main level.

"He ... I ... went down ... after him." Again, that fact was both astounding and yet another reason for self-retribution because Mark did go down by himself. But he'd done it in a reverse stage of panic. "He wouldn't wake up. Allen wasn't ... moving so I called 911 ... I waited and waited. They came ... but ... I didn't know what to do. Allen ... wouldn't wake up."

Danny swiveled and cracked his jaw to the right wanting to ask  _where_  it had happened;  _where_  precisely Mark and Allen's parents were that day. According to Roger Paquin, he'd been on a business trip and that could be a genuine fact. But he held back from asking the boy. Those details were for another day; they were details meant for other adult mouths to explain and spew forth with their own duly spawned feelings of guilt.

"I think you were very brave," Danny whispered. The boy had watched his brother die quite literally. At eight years of age, he'd almost fallen himself in a panicked haste to save his other half and Danny could almost envision two tumbling bodies. Still, Mark had the wherewithal to call 911 and then he had waited by his brother's side for that same help to arrive. It begged other questions, but those could wait. The answers to those would come to the fore eventually and Danny hugged Mark to his chest with only the child as his current priority.

"No, I'm not." The whimper was buried in his chest now. "I killed him. She ... hates me."

"No one hates you, Mark. And it was an accident." Danny wound up angrily grinding his teeth while gently resorting to rubbing Mark's arm. Glancing up to eye the dark underside of the staircase he prayed silently for help to come. He could hear the muffled sounds of voices and a multitude of distant noises, yet none were really coming down this particular stairwell. "Yeah, you are very brave, Mark. As scary as it was and as terrible as the accident, you did the right thing when Allen fell." Danny wasn't certain if Mark heard him or even could digest what he was saying. There was nothing left to talk about as they sat together waiting to be found. Over the last few minutes, Mark's sobs had abated but he still shivered uncontrollably while nested under Danny's chin.

They sat there silently and in a certain odd peace. Lost in the story though, Danny had nearly forgotten about the faint click of a door opening above them. He'd missed the lighter foot-falls take each step down to where they sat together. He hadn't realized that an eaves-dropper lurked closely on that final landing, listening in stunned silence to a child's confession.

Danny only looked up when he felt the eyes boring through him. Surprised once more when it wasn't the help he anticipated because Beth Paquin stood above them, with both hands covering her mouth and tears streaming down her face.

_**~ to be continued ~** _


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter Seventeen**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

 

The afternoon had been a universal success not only for Steve and Grace, but also for Chin who had suggested renting kayaks for a gentle tour around a few hidden coves which were protected from high surf. Each had piloted their own kayak and Grace was in her glory learning from both how to best maneuver the lightweight craft. The quiet coves and hidden tidal pools which Chin was so familiar with were also perfect for teaching Grace how to exit and gain re-entry to her kayak should she have the need. Happily excited with her successes that day, the three freshened up at Steve's and then ate out together. Now, they were all on their way back to the hospital and Grace could barely wait to tell Danno about everything they had done that day.

Glancing over as he drove, Steve had to smile at Grace's healthy glow and general excitement as her foot tapped the dash repeatedly. Every red traffic light put that same foot into a quandary as it tapped even faster in impatient anticipation. He chuffed an amused sound as Grace leaned forward eagerly when he made the final turn into the hospital's main parking lot. Behind them, the steady chugging engine of Chin's motorcycle comfortably brought up their rear. It was entirely satisfying and Steve was just beginning to feel a little sheepish over having had such a nice day; just a bit guilty for borrowing what should have been Danny's time that weekend with his daughter.

"Uncle Steve? Why is everyone outside the hospital?" Grace sat taller in the passenger seat, eyes wide as they entered the main parking lot. Her smile was now gone, replaced with an urgent worry at the strange sight. People milled about away from the main entrance on the sidewalk, remote sections of the parking lot, on grassy medians or in clusters by their cars. It was an odd assembly managed by hospital security and even one or two Honolulu Police Department officers.

"What?" Steve was busy dodging the errant driver leaving the area and then slowing to find a spot to park his big truck. Otherwise distracted and still mulling about their day, he hadn't quite noticed the crowd of people gathered nearer the building. Chin had though as Steve watched his friend veer to the far right to park his motorcycle closest to the scene.

"What happened? Is something wrong inside?" Grace asked again as she saw Chin jog over to the closest uniformed security guard before taking the man's arm to join a larger group of authorities who were obviously working busily.

"Let's find out," Steve breathed softly, parking and then taking Grace's hand with intent to join the main group of security personnel. Halfway there, he was both relieved and surprised to see Kono's head quickly weaving amongst the security team. At once seemingly to welcome her cousin, she was then off again with a dour expression. He watched as she chased down one person in particular who appeared to be in charge based upon a general air of importance and Steve realized it was the Chief of Security. Chin turned as if to follow then changed course entirely to take Steve and Grace aside before they could get closer.

"We need access," Chin quickly explained, taking Grace's hand to allow Steve the honors of the challenge. "It seems they've misplaced a patient and they need a bit of help."

Grace gasped worriedly but Chin was interrupting her with a light chuckle. "Not your father; someone else. But I think Aunt Kono and Uncle Steve need to go help. It's important, keiki, and I'd like you to stay here with me."

Cocking his head, Steve looked at Chin curiously as he handed Grace off. "Do we know this person?" Steve asked.

"Yes we do and you need to get in there. Security is giving Kono a hard time about it." Chin glanced down to Grace who was both listening and watching them like a young hawk. "To be honest, they have the situation mostly under control. But whether they want it or not, they do need more help."

"Why can't we go in then? We could all help," Grace asked, entirely confused by the mass of people forced to stand outside.

"Because it's easier for the authorities to watch the doors and to find someone with less people in the building," Steve offered the most simple of explanations. "If the patient is scared, more strangers just make it worse. Plus, with a lot of commotion, he or she might be able to sneak out without anyone seeing and the doctors don't want that to happen."

"Oh," Grace made a face, but the explanation was sensible and she had nothing more to say except to watch the goings on. Willingly she stayed with Chin as Steve looked for Kono, finally spotting her near the main entrance. She had the Chief by the arm and was adamantly arguing her case.

"I'll be back in a bit and then we'll go see Danno," he smiled reassuringly, turning to go but was stayed by a hand on his shoulder.

"Steve. One more thing." Chin grabbed him before he could get further while ensuring that Grace was momentarily out of earshot.

"I'm assuming this is Mark we're talking about? Poor kid's had it rough this week," Steve whispered, nodding in understanding at Chin's silent affirmative. "Besides the obvious, what else is wrong?"

"Danny has him in the southeast stairwell. Basement level. The mother's there, too."

"Danny?" Steve hissed his partner's name out, stunned by the revelation. Chin's earlier confusing comment about how security had things  _mostly_  under control made sense now. His sense of urgency grew as he envisioned a number of unpleasant scenarios with the brazen woman. "With Paquin? Damn it, Chin. How the hell did that happen?" Steve didn't expect an answer as he aimed for Kono; her argument regarding access to the building in full swing.

"Which part?" Chin muttered under his breath as he watched Steve leave, mindful that Grace was virtually in his back pocket as interest made her follow.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

 

From where he sat on the floor Danny watched the woman, quietly snorting in disgust when she reached one hand as if seeking out her son. Instead of allowing her to move forward though, he shook his head to deny the attempt and her hand dropped to her side as if stung. Her eyes blazed indignantly but Mark had just quieted and was beginning to tense once more as he sensed her presence.

"Get help. Don't just stand there," Danny's voice was low with an angry undertone as Beth uselessly stared at them. Her face was distraught but her eyes vacillated between that emotion and a real personal fear. Danny narrowed his own eyes as he measured the tears which were already drying on her cheeks. She was clearly upset but now he was almost nervously unsure as to why.

"It's okay," Danny murmured as he felt the twelve-year old shift uneasily in his arms. His next order to Beth continued in a mere whisper to ease that growing alarm. Her son was afraid, exhausted and ill, the very last thing he needed was raised voices and to feel aggression growing around him again. "Go and get help. Move."

There was scarcely a nod and then she was gone, fleeing up to the first floor where Danny could hear her shouting for help. But then, too many footsteps echoing on the stairs above had Mark whimpering into Danny's chest no matter what he tried to do. Without recourse, he gently cupped his hand over Mark's ear to pull him closer to his body as the boy's fingers convulsed to wad the sleeve of his hospital robe.

"What's wrong with all of you?" He warned them, glaring at the first face he saw coming around the corner. Mark was nested firmly into him now and Danny was vainly holding him closely as the trembling increased in correspondence to the activity level. "Keep it down. You all sound like a damned assault team!"

The first earnest face was that of Doctor Webber and he reared back in surprise, turning instantly to disappear to head off the four people in his wake, with Beth Paquin descending last. She was annoyed and pushing past though as the medical staff rocked to a halt. "Slow it down! Quiet!" Webber was duly upset by their error, realizing that the loud echo was deafening. "Stop ... take it slower. Now."

Behind the staircase, Mark moaned at having been found. He was frightened and tired, and the prospect of a reality where he had to cope with more doctors and nurses was far from where he wanted to be. But Grace's father was holding him closely and murmuring promises that nothing would happen.

"It's okay. It's only Doctor Webber and he didn't mean to be so loud." Danny ran his fingers over Mark's forehead to card them through damp, sweaty hair. The twelve-year old was now attached to him like a second skin and clearly wishing to be invisible. There was a sniffle though and the weakest of nods causing Danny to smile in response.

"Too many. Back off," Danny whispered as he looked up and five people arrived to swarm their small hiding place. Each was trying to be quiet but the volume was overwhelming as their bodies hid whatever scarce light was available. With one hand, he waved them back, silently asking that they all provide more reasonable space as Mark sank deeper down.

Pushing through, Beth Paquin ignored him with every intention of reaching her son first, but Doctor Webber physically interceded to hunker down as a solid protective wall. Forced to yield, Beth found herself standing just behind his broad shoulders and still unable to physically touch her child.

"Hiya, Mark." Daring to carefully rub Mark's arm, the doctor assessed the pale complexion and clammy skin while Danny began introducing the tenuous transition.

"See? It's alright." Resorting to softly rubbing the boy's small shoulders, Danny whispered calmly while beginning to ease some of the weight from his chest. But the angle was poor and he winced again, enough for Webber to place a restraining hand now on Danny's arm.

"Danny, go slow," the doctor softly advised, now taking stock of his second patient. "This stairwell was checked off as being searched; nicely done finding our boy, here. But how are you feeling?"

"Got lucky, I guess. But I'm fine, Doc," Danny's smile from over the top of Mark's head was completely unconvincing. The position on the cold hard floor was more than uncomfortable. The simple design of the white hospital gown and robe offered little protection as his bare legs braced against the floor to support the boy in his lap. He was cold and uncomfortable. Sitting straight up against the equally hard concrete wall was creating a fiery burn in his lower back, aggravating the strain which he'd felt during his descent down the staircase. All of these things Doctor Webber easily guessed and he heaved a careful sigh with an understanding hand to Danny's shoulder. The growing issue was Mark's dead weight and stray movements which were pressing on tender healing areas, constricting his older patient's breathing to even more shallow inhales.

"We need to move you both. Now," Webber noted quietly. "Mark, how about you come over to me and I take you back upstairs? Then the nurses here can help Detective Williams."

There was a minor movement and then a negative shake of Mark's head as he digested and then instantly rejected the idea. But Danny had expected the refusal and he only chuffed a faintly amused sound.

"We can't stay here and I don't know about you, but my butt hurts, buddy," Danny smiled when Mark relaxed and opened his eyes briefly. There was a glimmer of comprehension and Danny leaned slightly sideways to catch the boy's frightened, uncertain expression. "Seriously, it does. Plus, Doctor Webber is only worried about you, Mark."

But his tiny victory was dashed by a disgusted sound and an aggressive shuffling as Beth Paquin folded her arms, her voice reaching them in a loud hush. Her attempt at whispering failed completely as the concrete hollow echoed it back hauntingly.

"This is ridiculous," Beth harshly whispered from above their heads. "He's a little boy and we're not here to chat. Just pick him up … get him out of this filthy stairwell."

"Not helping," Danny breathed cautiously, wincing in pain as Mark moaned in reaction and reactively burrowed deeper still. Fingers clutched his robe spasmodically almost welding into skin forcing Danny to close his eyes as the boy's stray movement painfully rattled his chest. "Doc," under his breath and nearly mouthing the words, he was surprised by the fury on Webber's face which only he could see. "Can you get her out of here? She's not what he needs right now."

The defiant answer was silent as Webber got to his feet using his size to back the woman up towards the landing. "Listen to me, Mrs. Paquin. I have two patients who need me. Both of whom are ill and in pain. And  _both_  need to get out of this filthy stairwell as you so aptly put it."

"I can help her out," a deeper voice intoned from the flight above and Danny smirked to himself. The tone was laced with sarcasm and held an ominous threat of valid warning. Eyes closed and relaxing where he sat, Danny could envision his partner on the landing above likely with his arms folded and in full battle mode. He couldn't help the smirk that spread across his face as he continued to passively rub Mark's back in soothing circles.

"I'm staying with my son," Beth Paquin insisted, but her fight was lost before another of her strident demands could be voiced. There was a shuffling and more footsteps coming down from the higher floor as Steve, Kono and two hospital security guards eased past the medical staff to the main basement level.

"You'll allow him to be helped by the proper medical staff," Steve declared in kind. "In order to do that, you'll leave with these gentlemen and wait with your husband upstairs."

"Leave? I will do no such thing," Beth spat out. "My son needs me. I need to be here for him."

"Oh. Oh, I see," Kono drawled, her ire worn on her sleeve like a badge. She had spent hours investigating Beth Paquin and while not all of the woman's sins would carry legal ramifications, they were certainly unethical. Kono simply couldn't help herself by that point as she once more faced off with Mark's mother to shield not only Danny, but now a little boy. The one immoral selection that she chose to share was a sneered remark which was met with a satisfying amount of abject horror.

"Like you were there for him ... and for Allen ... you remember, don't you? That day when you left your eight-year old twins home alone while you spent the afternoon enjoying someone else's company? You remember that day? Don't you?" Kono's voice was clear but exceedingly soft so that only a few of the closest ears might hear her words.

Beth Paquin stared at the Asian officer as if the world had been turned on its axis. A hand strayed weakly to her throat and she reversed direction, nearly losing her balance as she tripped over her feet until her back hit the wall. "It ... I ... it wasn't like that," She whispered in denial.

"I found the 911 call buried in reams of red tape. Buried by your  _lover_ ," teeth clenched in anger, Kono selected her words very carefully. "Mark was petrified that day. Didn't you care?" Her voice was low and filled with a dangerous promise that the truth would be heard. Kono was mindful though of Mark and she additionally heard the softly murmured plea from Doctor Webber to exercise due caution. Her nod was nearly imperceptible as she considered her options.

During an afternoon tryst, the  _then_ -District Representative Sloan had manipulated and used connections to hide Mark's lone call to 911. A call which rightfully should have been questioned. He had used his significant authority to bury the truth behind his illicit affair and in doing so, had made it look as if Beth Paquin had been home that terrible day. He had hidden evidence, paid people off and used whatever means possible to protect his political career and likely even his own marriage. And despite being torn and feeling guilty about her serious parental failings, Beth's own lies had been just as evil because she had accepted his monetary bribes to aid in keeping those secrets. The affair had even continued after Allen's death.

The accident had been covered up because the now duly elected State Senator Sloan had been in the midst of pre-election campaigning and could ill-afford a scandal. His affair had been with the wife of his financial campaign manager whom he'd sent on a business trip to remove him from the equation. Kono glared at the woman, overwhelmed by the emotional tenor of her findings; stunned by the woman's ability to so coldly move on.

Because then, it was all entirely worse than even all of this. Kono's final quiet remarks were as damning as she hoped when Beth Paquin's complexion turned an ashen gray to match the dull concrete wall which now held her up. Standing next to Kono, Steve shifted uncomfortably as he absorbed the truth behind her findings.

"I have it all," Kono promised in a muted voice, yet her disdain grew with each perfectly enunciated syllable. "I know about the affair and the money; and I know that you forced Mark to lie for you, too. You made him tell his father that you were home that day. I hope it was all worth it."

_**~ to be continued ~** _


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter Eighteen**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

 

He didn't know precisely what was being said because the conversation was held in such a low confidential tone; but he certainly felt the tragic underpinnings. Because of that dark aura, Danny cradled Mark's head to his chest just in case tempers re-escalated while murmuring sounds which he hoped continued to be soothing. A few minutes later the air seemed to literally clear and lessen in its very intensity as a number of people left the stairwell for the upper floor. The change was palpable and he sighed thankfully as Mark slowly released his fingers from where they'd been buried in his robe.

"Do you think you can go to Doctor Webber?" Danny whispered the question before the man even returned to their side. "Mark? Everything is going to be alright. I promise."

The boy didn't verbally answer yet Danny sensed the pending agreement and he nodded up to Webber once he reappeared. "How's he doing?" The physician gently asked, surprised when Mark wearily peeked up to look his way. "Mark? Will you come with me now?"

Behind the doctor, a petite nurse snuck over to hand the doctor two blankets. One he draped over Mark's shoulders while the second was used to cover Danny's legs. Only then did Danny realize that he too was trembling. But where Mark was shaking from a traumatized fear, he was beginning to experience an exhausting adrenalin dump as his own tension leaked away.

"Detective?" Webber kept his hand on Mark, using the blanket as an excuse to maintain contact. He waited though for permission since Danny would know if he could literally scoop the boy up at that point. But only when he was ready for the transition. With one hand on Mark's shoulder, the doctor cautiously slid his other under the boy's knees while keeping the thick blanket bunched warmly around his body.

"Is it okay Mark?" He nearly stopped breathing when Mark stiffened and tucked the purple dolphin tightly to his chest. Relaxing completely yet maintaining some persistent contact, the physician waited. "Are we alright you two?"

"He's ready. Right, buddy?" Danny kept his eyes glued to Mark's face, measuring his expression and he smiled confidently just as he felt the willing change in pressure. "Yeah, he's good, Doc."

"That's my boy," Webber murmured into Mark's hair as he effortlessly stood with him now safely cradled in his arms. The same nurse moved forward to fix the blanket, allowing a fold to cover his face where he rested against the doctor's shoulder. Having heard some of the exchange with the Five-0 officer, the nurse's face was fraught with a mix of anger and grief. She couldn't hide her emotions as she spontaneously made sure Mark had his purple toy safely tucked in his hand under the blanket.

Afterwards, Danny wasn't alone for very long once Webber carefully peeled Mark Paquin from his lap. The very moment that the boy finally left his arms willingly for the doctor, he closed his eyes in direct response to the emotional drain. Tiredly, he rocked his head back into the wall while carefully exhaling a relieved purging of air. Both his arms wound up draped limply by his sides, hands falling palm up with fingers splayed. He sat there utterly still just listening to gentle murmurs and rustling sounds of movement, but keen to the soothing nature which kept Mark wholly at ease.

However, Danny couldn't help the weary vibration that made a tension-stressed muscle twitch in a leg or arm. Frankly though, he had no energy left to care. Unwilling to move, he focused on Webber's voice and the one or two other people speaking softly as they cared for Mark in their quiet manner. Their voices soon faded as Webber literally carried the boy up one flight to a waiting gurney, but Danny was far from being alone.

"Detective? How are you holding up?" Without opening his eyes, Danny knew it was whichever nurse Webber had asked to remain behind. She was now on her knees by his side, draping the blanket up to his very chin and tucking it between his shoulders and the concrete wall so it would stay in place. Then she was seeking his wrist to manually evaluate his pulse and checking his respiration. Waiting for more assistance to arrive, she pointed to the locked door while giving way to Steve who materialized seemingly from nowhere. "Security is going to turn off the alarm to the emergency exit. We're waiting on a wheelchair so we can bring you around outside ... no stairs ... to another side entrance where we'll take an elevator to the fourth floor. We'll have you back in your room in no time."

"Thanks," his voice was tinny, tired as he was, but it was enough to satisfy the nurse. He felt Steve assume her space and for that, Danny forced his eyes partially open and idly moved his hand under the blanket in a type of welcome. "Steve."

"Danno." He would have reprimanded Steve for using the nickname if not for a severe lack of energy and then the heavy dose of alarm in the tone. Frowning as he made his eyes focus, Danny wasn't disappointed when he saw the matching stress across the wind-burned face.

"Perfect ... timing. But where ...did you come from?" Danny slurred quietly as a fatigued tremor shook him from head to toe. "Why is your face ... all red?"

"The hospital was locked down when we got here. Grace is outside with Chin and Kono is running interference for Mark." The smallest of smiles broke out to crinkle white lines near Steve's eyes which were in direct contrast to the obvious signs of too much sun and wind irritation. Danny couldn't help staring at them and wondering why he hadn't noticed them earlier in the day. He paused, mesmerized by the sight, before realizing that Steve's concern was increasing the longer he remained quiet.

"I should have known. A lockdown won't stop a McGarrett. And ... once more ... you got your way," Danny finally responded adequately with a lopsided apologetic smile. But his voice faded as exhaustion took its toll making his thoughts as lethargic as his mouth. He was slow on the uptake and then grimacing as a spasm tightened his lower back. Once more, Danny's eyes closed as he rode the deep rolling ache to a barely manageable undercurrent.

"Yeah, I got my way," Steve affirmed with a bit of definitive heat behind the words, edited precisely the way he intended. "Are you okay?" Concerned by the the flicker of pain and Danny's increasing listlessness, he glanced to the nurse who was waiting for the okay to open the emergency door. But he frowned at the lax nature of Danny's entire body down to blanket hidden hands which were so obviously unmoving. "Are you going to be able to get up?"

"With ... help." Directly opposite to having originally done too much walking, now Danny had been sitting in one position for much too long. He groaned as another ache fluttered through his chest, wincing as his back picked up on the painful staccato echo. He moved and then regretted the attempt as the echo increased in a throbbing warning. "I need ... to get up, Steve. Oh ...  _man_. Everything ... hurts."

"Okay, okay. Take it easy ... we're not ready yet." Gripping Danny's upper arm as he moaned at the slightest of movements, Steve coached his partner to try to relax, yet looked to the nurse for guidance. He was relieved to see her on her cell phone at the same time she used her shoulder to open the emergency door. Already waiting on the outside were two orderlies with one wheelchair. Steve winced as the bright sunlight streamed into the once overly shadowed corner as the nurse hurriedly came back to where they were sitting. "How're we going to do this? He's exhausted and in pain."

"Go on his left so I can be careful of his right side where the bandage is," the nurse said as Steve slid dutifully on one knee to Danny's left. Just behind them an orderly positioned the wheelchair, locking the brakes and ready to lend another set of hands. "Detective, let us do the work. We're going to stand you up and then move you right into the chair. I don't want you to do a thing, alright?"

Danny nodded as he forced his eyes to open, now wincing too as the natural light momentarily blinded him. He leaned heavily into Steve to take the weight off his entire right side as the nurse cradled his elbow and then his arm. Mindful of his injuries, her touch was firm but gentle as they lifted in tandem only to stop as Danny gasped in pain.

"Wait," he whimpered, sagging miserably between the two as stiffened muscles seized in his legs, lower back and through his chest with a brutal vengeance. Blood rushed into his ears as static white noise and he wobbled dangerously with knees which refused to lock in place. Eyes closed, his head hung limply down as he struggled to find a way to get enough of air into his sore lungs.

"Shit." Steve took the brunt of his partner's weight as he swayed, prevented from collapsing only by the people holding him up. "Bring the chair around!"

Reacting quickly, the orderly did just that bumping the back of Danny's legs gently as three sets of hands now carefully guided him down. Unable to see for the flux of vertigo which briefly stole his vision, it took a few minutes for Danny to regain a perspective on his surroundings. The hazy view of Steve crouched worriedly in front of him eventually made it through the disorientation. Almost disembodied from the action, he managed to shakily swipe at the cold sweat rolling annoyingly down his face while more trickled down his back to soak the thin hospital gown.

"That ... hurt." Danny tried to smile to appease their concern, surprised to find that his mouth was bone-dry. Dimly he realized that the blanket was already back in place yet his right wrist was firmly in the nurse's grip and she was murmuring something which was taking much too long for him to understand.

"Slower ... slow it down ... slow." Her chanting was rhythmic and Danny finally heard her to realize that his heart was pounding like an out of control drum. He could feel it thrumming in his chest and then his neck; creating a painful tempo in his temple. "Slower, Detective." He blinked and shakily rubbed his eyes, surprised by the moisture that came away on his fingers.

"Shit, Danny," Steve repeated, clearly rattled by what he had thought would be a much simpler transition. His eyes flew from his partner over to the nurse as she doted over his vital signs. "Are you okay? Is he alright?"

"I'm good. I'm fine," Danny whispered before the nurse could reply as Steve's hand almost desperately found his shoulder. Closing his eyes to the nurse's continued coaching, Danny carefully gathered his composure to breath more calmly. His chest tugged and burned resentfully as he slowly acclimated to sitting, giving him the eventual wherewithal to nod that he was truly fine. "We can go. I'm okay ... really."

"He's better," the nurse softly affirmed entirely for Steve's benefit. "He'll be alright once we get him upstairs." Then Danny was closing his eyes and ducking his head behind a hand as the small retinue hurried him out into the sunshine.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

 

"While Chin ran home to grab his stuff, we went to your place first and picked up the rest of Grace's things; I had gear in the truck. Then we went to rent the kayaks. We freshened up, had a bite to eat, and came right over, Danny," Steve explained. Despite the fact that his friend's eyes were closed, Steve knew he was awake and listening based on the pleased smile which never left his lips. What he was seeing now was a far cry from just forty-five minutes earlier before a change of hospital attire and the overdue administration of pain medications. Danny looked peaceful, even content where he now lay in bed.

"Grace had a blast and you are coming the next time. No arguments." Perched on the edge of the mattress, Steve managed to smile at the reaction. There was a subtle twitch to one side of Danny's lip, clearly amused by the pending promise and not voicing a hint of disagreement. Only thinking of Grace when it came to sunscreen and a hat, Steve's face and neck were pinked from a heavy dose of water-reflected sunshine and wind. Having just asked about their day for a second time, Danny was now getting the full story behind their afternoon adventure.

"She had a great time." Eyes wedged shut peacefully and glad to listen, Danny's smile broadened as he quietly replied. "Thank you. Again." The only lull thus far in his daughter's chatter was because Grace had been tasked with organizing the folder of images on Kono's tablet.

"And again, Danno, you don't have to thank me for anything when it comes to Grace. I had a great time, too." Unhappy about his bedridden condition though, Steve roughly ran his hands over his face as he lowered his voice so as not to disturb Grace who was tapping diligently through the pictures they'd taken that afternoon while kayaking. He'd uploaded the images to the tablet and she was busily going through each to show to her father as a benign distraction. "You over did it and you're damned lucky nothing happened. You're very lucky that Webber is still going to release you tomorrow."

Steve chuffed a dissatisfied sound under his breath at Danny's unfazed shrug and subsequent question. "Any word on Mark?"

"Just that Webber's with him and he's resting. Chin and Kono are handling the Paquins."

"She's mad. Kono." Danny quietly clarified as his peaceful smile changed to a snide smirk. With not enough time to properly catch up, he really only had Mark's side of the story. But knowing what he did about Beth Paquin and understanding that Kono had uncovered so much more was scarily telling and he trusted that sole fact. "After all of this, I can't say I blame her one bit."

"Mad is an understatement, Danno. She's ... ah ... been  _provoked_  so to speak."

He heard the ongoing tension which said Steve was also still feeling antagonized and Danny idly pinched the bridge of his nose. Through his fingers, he tried to reassure his friend again as he faintly heard what sounded like a long-suffering sigh. "I'm fine, Steve. Look at the bright side, at least I know my limitations."

"Hell of a way to find out," Steve retorted immediately. But Danny's eyes were suddenly wide open as he sharply inhaled, rubbing his side near the taped bandages. Glancing once towards Grace, Danny stared at him utterly unsettled. "What? What's wrong?"

"If I hadn't found Mark, do you realize who would have found him first?" He was louder than intended and Grace's head snapped up, surprised by the change in her father's quietude. Steve had nothing to say as the two stared speechlessly at each other, barely able to mull what might have happened. In fact, there was no adequate reply which Steve could think of as he shifted awkwardly on the bed towards where Grace was sitting.

"You about done there, Gracie? I need to see those pictures! Especially the ones with the sea turtle." With no recourse save that of distraction, Steve blithely changed the subject. Her hand was poised mid-tap on the tablet and she nodded while seemingly still stuck in the chair.

" _You_  want to see them? You?" Embracing the swift change, Danny's face altered to one of mock outrage which had Grace smiling and then laughing. " _I_  want to see them! Especially if you two think that I just might go the next time. I have to see what I'm in for!"

Pacified, Steve smiled warmly as he exchanged places with Grace so she could be next to her father. His hand idly stroked her hair as she squirreled herself comfortably into place. "I heard that, Danno," Steve drawled sneakily. "You're so  _in_  the next time and now I have a witness."

"It was fun, Danno. We all need to go the next time ... Aunt Kono, too." Tucking her legs so she could perch better on the side of the bed, Grace settled the tablet on his chest before leaning lightly on his right shoulder. Tapping to the first image, she pinched it to make it bigger so it filled the entire screen. "This was the best!"

"Uh?" Stunned, Danny stared at the image of his daughter chin-deep in crystal clear waters. In the picture, she was laughing with careless abandon. Her hand was on the side of the orange kayak as she so obviously tread water alongside. It made him feel only slightly better that she was wearing a life-vest. "Why are you not  _in_  the boat, Monkey?"

"It's a kayak, Daddy. Not a boat." Her eyes twinkled as her giggle increased in volume. Silently, Danny rotated the tablet so that Steve could also benefit from the first picture.

"Care to explain?" He asked softly because Steve was sickly smirking with both hands raised. " _Uncle_  Steve?"

It was obvious Chin had taken a series of pictures of which he was quite unaware of at the time. But with a smile that refused to quit, it was Grace who so sweetly replied on his behalf with the most excited of explanations. "Uncle Steve said I needed a crash course in water safety in case the kayak ever capsized."

**_~ to be continued ~_ **


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter Nineteen**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

 

With Grace in hand as they left the hospital for the night, Steve was still grinning and couldn't help it. Even Grace was giggling as they walked together to his truck. Danny had fallen asleep during a half-hearted attempt at a rant while paging through the kayaking pictures.

 _"I'm sorry but I get a little nervous when my daughter uses the words 'crash', 'water' and 'capsize' all in the same sentence, Steven!"_ One picture had led to many more, leaving Danny agog with the depth of their lively afternoon. He too had been smiling though, more enthralled by Grace's exuberance with every passing moment.

"Do you think he'll come with us when he gets better?" Grace asked. "Danno did think the cove was pretty and it's perfect for a picnic."

"I actually do," Steve answered in all honesty. It was more than obvious that Danny had been biting back a laugh at his own expense before his body had made up its sleepy mind aided by a final battery of helpful analgesics. "I think we should all go in fact."

"Good," she replied battling her own drowsy demons when she failed to hide an impressive yawn. Staring out the passenger window, Grace's smile was illuminated by the splintered yellowish gleam of the occasional overhead street lights as they drove home. "I'm glad he's coming home tomorrow."

"Yeah, me too, Steve added just under his breath. Sobering, his smile faded slowly as he merged onto the main thoroughfare. He didn't like the situation at all and was uncomfortable with his partner spending even one final night at the hospital. However, he knew his feelings were driven by the discomfort of the general situation which had never grown lax in its emotional charge. To make matters worse, both Kono and Chin were equally incensed by the Paquins, above and beyond that of the accident. The issues were much bigger and Mark's health was in the balance; without a doubt, Steve knew that the entire team was vested in protecting the little boy.

"Is Mark going to be okay, too?" Grace's voice drifted over to scatter those thoughts and Steve managed to nod.

"I think so, sweetheart. Just remember that everything that happened today is private, alright?" Steve gently reminded her. "You can't tell anyone even a tiny bit about Mark because it wouldn't be right. He's hurting, Grace, and he needs a good friend or two right now."

"I know," Grace nodded in total agreement. "I promise I won't say anything. Ever."

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

 

Mark was so exhausted, he was beyond being able to think or to even care about what might happen next. Refusing to speak or open his eyes, he would silently cry every so often while buried under blankets now back in his hospital bed. He knew his father was there though; hovering and aching to touch him but afraid as if Mark was made of delicate fragile glass.

More tears leaked from under his eyelashes and he turned his face to smother them in the pillow. It was then that he felt the change and he stiffened again, wary and afraid.

"I can't stand this," the hoarse whisper was from his father. Mark didn't know who he was speaking to, but it was enough to know it was about him. "I need to do something for him. What do you think, Doc?"

There was a moment of silence and a short murmur of conversation before something strange happened.

"Easy, Mark, your dad and I are going to try something." He knew Doctor Webber's shadow by then but the closeness of the physician's voice surprised him nonetheless. There was a sliding noise and the bed vibrated as the side rail was lowered. Then two sets of hands simply picked him up, cradling him as if he were a baby. His fingers convulsed reactively around his beanbag toy while still buried in the folds of the blanket. He was lifted, moved and then lowered as if he were nothing.

Bravely, he opened his eyes confused to see that he was now entirely in his father's arms and that they were seated in the large hospital easy chair reserved for patients. The chair was partially reclined so his father's legs were supported and Doctor Webber was busily making sure Mark was warm and comfortable. As he had been with Detective Williams, he was tucked under his father's chin with the utmost of care as tentative fingers massaged the base of his neck.

"Am I hurting you?" The deep baritone was pleasant in his ear and Mark managed to make a noise. It was a confused sound and at a loss to offer more, Mark settled for shaking his head.

"Comfortable? Better?" Webber was suddenly crouched down in his line of sight and Mark nodded this time as another stray tear rolled down his cheek. But now it was for an entirely different reason. "Good. That's good. Try to go to sleep, Mark."

Relaxing into the broad chest, he forgot about the purple dolphin which stayed solemnly tented on his hospital gown in order to loop his fingers between two buttons on his father's shirt. Gentle circles continued to roll around his upper shoulders and the base of his neck with an easy pressure. Soothed, he watched his hand rise and fall to his father's steady breathing where it stayed wedged in his shirt. Minutes later, Mark was asleep.

In the doorway to Mark's hospital room, Kono watched the maneuvering with mixed emotions. Doctor Webber loitered inside the room ensuring that his patient was content. It was he whom had requested that she speak to the Paquins completely away from hospital grounds and his request smartly made sense. She and Chin had planned to discuss their findings prompted by the family's dire threats at the Five-0 offices. However, Beth and Roger Paquin had exchanged heated words once more in the hallway. Blaming Five-0 for conducting a spurious investigation against their family, the woman had stormed out, leaving her husband utterly bewildered.

Kono had no choice at that point. In a temper, Roger Paquin had sought her out demanding to know why Five-0 had gone after his family. He had been duly silenced by Kono's calmly defensive remark that one of their own had been threatened with a lawsuit and as such, her investigation was par for the course. But her eyes told another story and the man had pushed hard to demand more when his own intuition spurned him forward.

Their discussion had begun as an altercation and had remained heated with Doctor Webber once more intervening. Astutely, he provided them with the sanctity of his own office so that Chin Ho and Kono could reveal their evidence in detail. And if not for Chin's dependable calm and incredible verbal skills, Kono wasn't entirely certain Roger Paquin would have believed a single word of that evidence. He glowered angrily at the mention of Sloan's name and the mention of an affair, conversely wincing at even a mild reference to his son, Allen.

" _Allen_." Said almost reverently in a plaintive whisper, his tone had softened when Chin asked for his side of the tragic story. It had taken time, much as it had in the cafeteria the one time Kono had stumbled upon the man where he sat alone. The two cousins waited as Paquin gathered thoughts and even courage to speak.

 _"That tree was magnificent. And I cut that damned thing down to its roots two weeks, too late."_  Roger had swallowed hard, tears filling his eyes with grief that remained close to the surface.  _"Four years this August and it seems like yesterday."_

 _"What do you know about what happened that day?"_  Chin softly urged. Doctor Webber's office was quiet and exceedingly private. It was the perfect place to talk and finally, Roger Paquin nodded though he picked up his story first by explaining more about Allen.

 _"Allen was the brave one."_  Roger had smiled at the memory, not realizing that he nearly mimicked Mark's sad comment to Danny.  _"Beth would say that he was also the good one, but that's completely unfair. It's not true at all. Allen only had a natural way with people and truth be told, that boy could get into trouble and then talk himself out of it just as fast. He could charm the socks off a snake, that one."_

Quiet had reigned in the office while Kono and Chin waited. With a deep sigh, Roger continued in a long-winded purge.  _"Despite being born fifteen minutes before Allen, Mark felt as if he were always in his brother's shadow. Allen was gregarious, outgoing and very athletic. People migrated to him and he was a natural-born leader. Mark has always been the thinker ... better in school ... more serious. He likes to read and figure things out. He's very good in math and science."_

 _"Like you?_ " Kono remembered smiling at that and how her simple acknowledgment made Roger Paquin hesitate and then also, grin happily. That had lasted for a mere second though before he refocused, once more staring at his hands while he spoke.

 _"Allen teased Mark relentlessly about his fear of heights. The tree was off-limits and I had been threatening to cut it down all summer. That damned crow's nest...,"_  Roger's voice trailed off before resuming with more vigor.  _"...Allen would sit up high where the branches formed a natural, deep hollow. He christened it his 'crow's nest' because he swore he could see things for miles, and he egged Mark on. It was a constant challenge and I guess Mark finally caved in that day."_

 _"So, you at least believe this part is true?"_  Kono asked softly.

 _"I know it's true. Absolutely,"_  Roger nodded firmly.  _"Allen must have pushed that day ... he must have pushed hard and so, Mark tried. But now, Mark blames himself for what happened and Beth blames the world."_ His jaw had worked painfully from left to right. Flustered and beginning to lose his composure, Paquin had swallowed painfully as his face reddened in a new rage.

 _"But if what you say is really the truth, then Beth has no right. Maybe it still would have happened ... maybe not."_  Roger thumped his fist angrily on the physician's heavy desk. " _Sloan buried the truth to save his own skin. But Beth let him ... she wasn't there for our boys and she made Mark lie? Out of what ... guilt? Love for Sloan or even the money? I don't understand ... I don't want to believe it."_

Heaving a steadying sigh, Kono had slid the photographs she'd printed under the grieving father's nose.  _"Just look at these. Their hands."_ The images from the celebratory ball were indeed grainy yet it was clear to see that Beth Paquin's fingers were gently entwined in Sloan's on the receiving line.

 _"I'm sorry,"_  Kono had added next because Roger Paquin's shock was so very obvious. What he saw was an intimate touch between his one-time employer and his wife, made more obvious by the endearing glance frozen in time. Below the images were Chin's detailed findings regarding the offshore bank account in his wife's maiden name. Roger Paquin had sat there quietly reading and diligently examining their finds in total silence.

 _"I don't know what comes next,"_  Roger had whispered, shakily rising to his feet. Off-balance and evidently even nauseous, his face was pale and lined with an aged weariness.  _"I don't know what to think just yet. But I have to see Mark ... I need to go back to his room. I need to see Doctor Webber and I don't want my son to be alone."_

Fidgeting now while she watched the father and son, Kono had difficulty pulling herself away from the doorway until she felt Chin's hand on her shoulder. He was tugging her backwards and communicating their need to leave. For that day, they'd done what they could and Mark at least had what he needed in the short-term.

"I want to see Danny," Kono whispered as she walked next to Chin. She knew it was late and that Steve had already taken Grace home for the night. But her urge to poke her head in on Danny was too strong after the emotional discussion with Roger Paquin. "He's probably sleeping, but I need to see him."

Arm in arm, the two made their way to his room pleased to find him peacefully asleep. Sneaking over to stand by the side of Danny's bed, Kono planted a chaste kiss on the top of his head much to Chin's amusement. He sniffed back a chuckle where he stood over her shoulder, grinning widely when she turned on him.

"Shut up, cuz. It's been a rough day," Kono whispered without apology. Her eyes were calmer though; even more content as she playfully poked her cousin in the chest. "Just be quiet,  _lolo_!"

"I didn't say anything," Chin whispered, though he was still smirking as they quietly left their friend the way they'd found him. Still, another solid poke found the center of his chest and he winced through a louder chuckle. "Not a single word!"

_**~ to be continued ~** _


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes: evidently there's another bunny who thinks its rather funny at times.

**I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

 

**Chapter Twenty**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

 

Though she hadn't been evicted from hospital grounds or arrested - at least not yet - Beth Paquin stole into the hospital during the darkest of overnight hours. They knew her by now and alternated between giving her a wide berth or closely watching her every move. Frankly, she didn't care about either of their methods. She took advantage of knowing Roger and his habits to do what she needed to do before she left.

Beth went directly to Mark's room without hesitating or stopping. She stood in the doorway briefly just to ensure that Roger wasn't there but the room was deathly somber. Her guess that he'd be in the hospital cafeteria forcing cold coffee and something from the vending machine into his stomach was indeed quite valid. But she also knew that she wouldn't have much time.

"Hello, Mrs. Paquin." Mark's nurse was familiar to her, but she'd never bothered to learn the woman's name. Rather than answering, Beth merely listened to what seemed like an obligatory update on her son. "He had a snack around midnight and he's been sleeping ever since. I think your husband is downstairs."

"Thank you. I'm glad," Beth softly replied, once more relieved when the nurse's comment compounded Roger's location. The nurse was still staring at her though and Beth managed a curt nod. "I won't bother him or stay long."

Stealing closer, Beth softly sat on the edge of the bed and watched Mark sleep. Her whispers were barely audible and he only slightly moved in response to her voice. She frowned when she realized that, in fact, she seemed to disturb him based on the scrunching of his forehead and small uncomfortable fidget. Rather than soothing, she brought a sense of true disquiet and unease with her very presence. Her resolve was made more firm as she watched the pinched look on her son's face only partly ease.

"I'm leaving, Mark. You'll be fine with your father. Better than fine," she murmured softly, unfazed by her sheer lack of tears. Searching hard, she could only find the faintest feeling of a dark heavy knot buried in the pit of her stomach. There were no actual tears though as she searched vainly for even a thread of regret. Rising smoothly to her feet, Beth leaned over to run her fingers through her son's hair. Her final kiss was briefly bestowed on his temple and a second soon followed, but she didn't falter now. "I never hated you, Mark. But, I need to go."

She couldn't voice what she was really thinking though; that she simply couldn't ever give him what he needed. The vibrancy of her beloved Allen was gone and Beth Paquin could never love her overly serious second son the way that a mother should. Self-centered and unwilling to lay claim to Mark's broken emotional state, she wasn't capable of ever giving him what he so desperately craved. Her hands fisted spasmodically as she remembered Allen's carefree spontaneous laugh and windswept hair. So alike in their ways and outgoing verve, mother and son had mutually doted upon each other. One fulfilling the other's innate spark for being the center of attention.

A dangerous thought was on the tip of her tongue as she stared almost blindly down at Mark. An evil, un-motherly wish that she nearly voiced about him instead of Allen as she much too coolly studied his sleeping face. Her unbidden yearning proved that her capacity for blame lay too strongly side by side with her self-righteous beliefs.

"Good-bye, Mark." Her final whisper was stony and utterly unnecessary. It gave her some personal credence to her visit though, at least before she turned away to complete her last task.

She left her handwritten card for Roger perched sideways on the raised tray table between the plastic cup and water pitcher without looking back. Her small bag was already in her car; she had enough money and would decide where she was going once she got to the airport. Leaving as boldly as she had entered the hospital, Beth Paquin soon disappeared from sight.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

 

"Hello, Danny. When I called yesterday to see how you were doing, they told me that you had been moved to a private room. I tried to come by earlier, but had to wait until today." Staring at Steve, Danny's eyes went wide as the woman's voice echoed in to him from his doorway. Danny's instantly mouthed one word of ' _help_ ' completely caught Steve off guard as he slouched down in the bed acting as if he could hide.

 _"Who is she?"_  Turning from the window where he'd been gauging the darkening skies, Steve mouthed his question quickly in return. However, he only gained Danny's disgusted eye-roll as answer as the woman swept into the room directing her aim solely for him.

"Hi, Kia." Equally bewildered by the visitor's arrival, Grace's aggrieved welcome made Danny flinch involuntarily as an atrocious display of flowers was placed on his side table. The ostentatious vase had hidden her face from his view, and now Mrs. Gina Montrose smiled happily down at him. Her daughter Kia was by her side holding a rectangular bakery box and looking very uncomfortable.

"Hi, Grace," Kia muttered with a tiny smile. Trying to find reason for her presence, she held up the box higher. "My mom baked chocolate chip cookies. They're really good."

"Your mother actually bakes?" Grace sniffed in disbelief, earning a sharply poked reprimand from her father. "Ow!" Rubbing the sore spot above her knee where his finger had landed, she made a face before accepting the proffered box. "Thank you. I guess."

"Danny, how are you feeling?" With a quick smile for Grace's benefit, Gina moved closer to the bed with her eyes trained on the bedridden detective. "I've been thinking about you every day since that terrible accident."

"Uh." Danny painfully quirked his lip up in a weak replica of a smile. But for once, he was at a loss for words as she leaned meaningfully over the bed and directly into his personal space. Wincing, Danny continued with his pained attempt at a half-smile, shrinking down simultaneously into the pillows. "Hi, Gina. Fine. Good."

"Kia and I have been very anxious to stop by," Gina purred while winding her fingers into his left hand. Leaning still closer, her perfume tickled his nose but when her free hand swept over his forehead to settle in his hair, Danny forgot his urge to sneeze. He also briefly wondered if Kia was as truly anxious as her dear mother as more perfume wafted his way. "But ... you do look very tired. How are you feeling ... really? Tell me the truth."

"Uh. Fine," he croaked again. His expression remained sickly stunned as he tapped the small duffel bag which Steve had brought that morning. Pending one final x-ray, Danny was anticipating being checked out of the hospital by Doctor Webber along with a laundry list of medical orders. "I'm getting released today. Soon. Very soon, in fact."

"Oh, sweetie, I'm so glad to hear that!" Overly demure, Gina gazed happily at Danny while intentionally turning a blind eye towards his obvious predicament. Slowly, her fingers wound playfully through his hair, twirling a strand rudely around her forefinger. Lock-jawed, Danny pulled her annoying hand away only to find that Gina Montrose was now willingly coddling both his hands together within hers. He made a noise deep in his throat when her thumb ran over his knuckles. Next to him, Grace was muttering something under her breath and glaring at Kia, who once more, wished that the linoleum floor might swallow her whole.

 _"Sweetie?"_ Steve mouthed the word while he bounced on his toes as Danny's clearly annoyed and very plaintive eyes met his once more. The woman was beautiful and nearly perfection down to her long showy legs. Her daughter was impeccably dressed in a pretty sundress with a stray smudge of chocolate marring one side of her pretty cheek. For the life of him, Steve at first didn't understand his partner's visible distaste and distressed look which continually asked for help.

He watched transfixed as Gina Montrose glanced towards her daughter, patiently rolling her eyes to the ceiling at what she spied. "Peanut, you have chocolate on your face!" For one blessed second, the woman had lost interest in Danny as she fished for a clean tissue from her ample bag. Gently rotating her daughter's chin up, Gina swiped the offending streak away with a loudly bussed kiss lobbed precisely on that same spot.

"Mom, stop." Kia said, smiling in embarrassment, before rubbing at the lipstick stain she knew would be in its place.

"What kid doesn't like chocolate, right? I think she ate half of what we baked together last night before I got them boxed." Gina tweaked Kia's braid with a sweetly endearing tug. "Isn't that right, Peanut?"

Seconds later though, Steve's mouth gaped wide as the interesting woman was once more invading his partner's very breathing room. Giving out with a breathless chuckle, she regained his fingers to coyly capture them in her own. "Actually, everyone likes chocolate." Gina reiterated quietly.

"Chocolate's good," Danny agreed under his breath, equally surprised that the divorcee actually did indeed evidently know her way around a kitchen. But his next faint remark had her beaming in pleasure. "Thank you for the cookies ... and the flowers. You didn't have to go to all this trouble."

"It's no trouble at all, Danny," Gina gushed happily, a blush rising to her cheeks at the compliment.

Partly biting back an amused laugh, Steve cleared his throat loudly to signal his presence as Grace now glared at the woman's brashness. "Excuse me," Steve pursed his lips at the willowy brunette, momentarily taken by her alluring outfit and pristine appearance. "Can I help you?"

"Oh!" Stunned by his presence, she looked up quickly freeing a hand in order to place it dramatically over her heart. Her intake of breath ended on an odd squeak as she recovered her senses to appraise Steve from top to bottom. At first genuinely surprised, she soon regained the warmth of her beaming smile.

"And who's this pray tell?" Gina stood tall now next to Danny while maintaining a constant hold of at least one hand. Yet, her smile had deepened exponentially as she looked from Danny to Steve with an ever-increasing amount of appreciation.

"He's my Uncle Steve," Grace bristled anew as Mrs. Montrose gazed deeply into Steve's face before her eyes flickered briefly to his hands. Her obvious search of a wedding ring made Danny chuff an overly amused chuckle as Steve's eyes widened in surprise. Gina Montrose would never be deemed as a subtle woman and she was as fickle as the day was long.

"Gina, meet Steve McGarrett. You two should get to know each other," Danny smirked as he easily freed the last of his fingers from the red-tipped talons. He watched in captivated glee as she sauntered around the bottom of the hospital bed to sweetly shake his partner's hand. Once more though, she lingered in her introduction just a few moments too long, causing Steve's nose to wrinkle in a bewildered way.

"Steve," Gina smiled grandly, waving her hand blindly behind her back to bring her daughter forward. Propelling her forward with one hand on top of her head, Gina held her in place. "This is my Kia. She and Grace are in the same classes at school."

"Hi Kia. It's nice to meet you." Bending down, Steve made the little girl feel special when he held his hand out warmly for their introduction.

"Hi," she answered shyly, at a total loss for words when he took her so seriously. "Mom made cookies. They're really good."

"I see that," he said, glancing now at Grace who held the ribboned box on her lap. Half tolerant smirk and half annoyed, Steve could barely read the odd expression on her face. Confused, he blinked once and then twice before smiling brightly to Kia. "Homemade cookies are the best and I bet these are perfect."

"Hmm, they are. One of my many talents," Gina suddenly cooed as she continued in her inspection. "Tattoos? They're very ... impressive," she purred sweetly, clearly intrigued. As her hand came up to dare to touch his bicep, Steve was already backpedaling to stand nearer his window which suddenly seemed safer from the unconscionable Gina Montrose. "Military? Army man?"

"What?" Steve stared at the brunette. "Yes. I mean, no!" She was remarkably beautiful but alarmingly forward. He clearly understood now Danny's original plea as she advanced on him in the confines of the hospital room. Sitting on the bed, Grace gave out with an audible dramatic sigh before shaking her head while Danny's grin quirked upwards to make his eyes shine deviously. Wincing as if in pain, even little Kia Montrose seemed wise to her mother's antics.

"Army man," Gina grinned happily. "I bet you look darling in uniform. All those big guns."

"Ninja black. Camo," Danny smirked quietly from his bed. He lifted his eyebrows comically as Steve found his eyes. "And he prefers grenades to guns ... or even napalm."

"Shut up, Danny," Steve sputtered as Danny laughed outright. Gently taking Gina's hand only to stay where it might travel, Steve made another disgruntled face as she beamed radiantly up into his face. She nearly swooned at his formal use of an old-fashioned, polite word. "No, ma'am. Not the Army."

"Here we go," Danny grinned as Gina freed her hand to finally fold her arms suspiciously against their friendly antics. Grace was grinning and Danny was truly laughing now, holding his side as tears pricked his eyes. She was sure he wasn't laughing at her precisely, but Gina Montrose was utterly confused as the two men shared a not so private joke.

"No, no, ma'am," Steve's lips were white as he pressed his mouth firmly closed. From the bed, Danny was nearly crying when he belligerently replied, "Navy. I'm in the damned Navy!"

_**~ to be continued ~** _


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter Twenty-One**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

 

Steve stood in the hallway surrounded by women. It didn't matter that two were twelve because all three seemed to have remarkably different needs. Grace was almost possessively leaning into his side, while Kia wandered a few feet away with an evident interest in anything except being in the hospital. She was watching him closely though.

"Coffee?" Gina was the third female and she was enthusiastically pushing her idea of a quick get-together in the cafeteria. "We do have cookies and it sounds like Danny's doctor will be at least a few minutes. The cafeteria shouldn't be too far."

"While I'd certainly like to, it's just not a good time." Motioning for Grace to remain where she was, Steve firmly moved Gina away before he truthfully replied. Standing around in a bland hallway waiting for Doctor Webber to assess Danny's health before being released was suddenly weighing heavily on Grace. A quick glance down to her face had Steve focused solely on her now. She was failing at hiding a lingering concern that Danno might not truly be able to come home regardless of the physician's high level of confidence. His kind reassurance that he was merely double checking her father's healing wound failed at completely putting her at ease. For some reason, once the doctor closed the door to the hospital room for privacy, Grace was on the verge of tears.

Gina's crushed look faded when she followed his gaze and to her benefit, she instantly changed gears before his eyes. Crushed became concerned and playfully forward advances seemed to dissolve in an instant.

"Oh, she's upset," Gina whispered with an honest understanding. "Maybe next time?" Perplexed by the remarkable transformation, Steve nodded his thanks momentarily worried when the woman went directly to Grace to say a few words. He hovered, watchful, until Gina Montrose completely surprised him once more.

"Kia and I are going to go now, Grace. We put together a special bag of chocolate chip cookies for little Mark and Kia made him a get-well card. We should go see him before it gets much later." Despite her pretty skirt and designer heels, Gina was virtually on her knees next to Grace. Cupping her cheek, the woman leveled a beaming reassuring smile into her sad, worried brown eyes. "You're father's going to be just fine, Peanut. You take care of him when he gets home, alright?"

"Yes," Grace murmured, thankful for the unexpected departure. She had been certain that Kia and Gina Montrose would stay for hours imposing and infiltrating on her time and her father's space. But now the divorcee was only tugging lovingly on a braid before standing to leave. Then there was a blatant wiggle to her slim hips as she straightened her pencil-thin skirt. But almost imperiously, she was now waving to Kia to come to her side.

"Let's go, Peanut. We need to go find Mark's room and bring him your get-well gifts. Cookies make everyone feel better." Gina practically cooed to her simultaneously relieved daughter. "Say goodbye to Grace and Detective McGarrett."

"Shhh," Steve put his finger to his lips when a tiny stunned gasp echoed from Grace's very being. He knew what she wanted to say to correct the eccentric Mrs. Montrose but now he was adamantly shaking his head to quiet her. The last thing he needed was to impress the strangely fickle woman with his official title; she'd nearly gone off the charts on his Naval announcement much to Danny's delight.

"But..." The smile was mixed with a bizarre frown as she folded her arms in his defense. Through watery eyes, she seemed determined to voice the correction regardless of her concern for her father. "...Uncle Steve?"

"Shh, it's not necessary, Grace." Around an self-conscious chuckle, Steve gave her a meaningful look which he wiped from his face when Gina whirled around in confusion. He recovered quickly with a thankful smile solely meant to appease. "She's fine ... we'll be fine, Gina. Thank you for coming to see Danny."

"But, Uncle Steve, you're not a..." Striding to Grace's side to interrupt the pending diatribe, Steve smiled warmly at the Montrose females. Once more little Kia was shyly saying goodbye, but he was pleased when Gina merely bid farewell with a single winning glance back in their direction before the elevator swallowed her whole.

Still amused about the incorrect use of the detective title, he bent down to Grace but her face completely changed his mind. Tears were now welling obviously higher within her brown eyes as her bottom lip trembled dangerously. "Hey, hey, hey. Danno's going to be okay," Steve leaned down to whisper in Grace's ear, surprised when her fingers found his hand seeking comfort. Her lip quivered as the tears slowly began to escape in earnest. "It's just a checkup. Danno will sign a bunch of papers and then we'll all go home."

"I know," Grace couldn't hide the tears which now wracked her voice. She didn't know why she was suddenly so upset. But staring at the closed door to Danno's room, she simply was. "Suppose he's sick again?"

"Gracie, he's not sick, sweetheart.' Steve crouched down then, taking her into his arms for a soothing hug. "This is normal doctor stuff. Danno will be home by lunch with his feet up on the lanai before you know it. Promise."

"Okay," Grace whispered, wiping her face with the side of her hand. She could hardly speak for the lump in her throat. Needing constant comfort, she insisted on holding Steve's hand as he tucked her sympathetically to his side. They stood in the hallway, waiting patiently until there was a loud click. She knew it was the handle to Danno's hospital room door, but still she startled when it swung open to reveal Doctor Webber and the nurse who had been assisting him. The physician cocked his head curiously as he measured Grace's splotchy complexion and the obvious tear-stains which so newly streaked down her face.

"Well now," Webber remarked carefully. A multitude of comments ran through his head but he settled on the most simple thing as more tears ran unheeded down Grace's cheeks. "He passed with flying colors. So are you ready to take him home, young lady?"

The tears didn't exactly dry though as Grace mutely nodded. A shuddered inhale attempted to stem the flow, yet Grace didn't seem able to stop as she flew from Steve's side with a sob.

"Sometimes even good news is stressful," Webber softly noted to Steve as he followed Grace to intercept Danny's distantly voiced and very worried queries. "Like I said, he's fine ... the release forms are already in progress. You'll all be on your way in no time."

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

 

"I didn't expect her to cry," Danny whispered from where he had been placed on the lanai. With the threat of rain, he was more inside than out, but the air was crisply fresh. "How did I miss that? How didn't I see it?"

"It's my fault. I'm the one who didn't know that she was so upset." Like Danny, Steve was mortified by Grace's exhausted crying jag which had started in the hospital and then carried on intermittently through her father's release. His whisper came from overhead where he stood vigil over his partner and sleeping daughter. With beer in hand and one of Gina Montrose's chocolate chip cookie's in the other, he watched as Danny idly ran his fingers over Grace's hair.

Upon making sure that her father had been placed  _just so_  in a particular safely covered area of the lanai and served him an ample lunch complete with requisite medicines, Grace had then been unable to get close enough. Using all her youthful agility, she had carefully wedged herself between the arm of the chair and his uninjured left side only to fall asleep as he too dozed.

"I scared her," Danny murmured regretfully. "I scared her ... badly. Rachel comes home today and if she were to see our daughter, she'd be ... well... she'd not be very pleased." Brought on by lack of movement, a deep gnawing ache had recently woken him. He was content to have Grace by his side but he winced now as he forced his body to remain still. There was an annoying ache settling in his back, just below where his lungs were and he held his breath to intentionally strangle the frightening need to cough. It was decidedly the wrong thing to do as a sharper pain took up base camp nearer his spine. Unable to get comfortable, Danny frowned as Steve put his bottle down while popping the entire remainder of the cookie into his mouth.

"Breathe or I take you back to Webber!" Wiping crumbs away, Steve quietly reprimanded his partner while also defending his small charge. His long-winded whisper was valid but Danny was slow to agree. "By the way, don't go there because Grace is fine, Danno. We had a busy day kayaking yesterday and she was over excited about you getting released from the hospital. She got herself worked up and she'll be fine after a good night's sleep."

"She saw everything, Steven," Danny retorted crossly about the accident. But his flare of temper faded as Steve began initiating a plan much to his consternation. "Everything ... what do I do about that, huh? And now what are you doing?"

"I'm putting her to bed," Steve whispered while purposefully bending down and wending his hands between child and chair. Carefully rearranging lax arms and legs, Steve lifted Grace effortlessly up and out of the tight space she'd squirreled herself into.

"Leave her, she's fine," Danny whispered, annoyed when Steve merely shushed him. Stranded where he sat, he was stuck as his friend cradled his daughter to his chest. Face flushed from tears and a deep sleep, Grace never flinched as her right arm fell loosely to hang down.

"She  _is_  fine, Danno. But you're not," the knowing whisper was barely audible and blatantly correct in its assessment. Effectively silencing his partner, Steve paused as he adjusted Grace in his arms with a pleased, gentle smile which dwindled to nothing the more he watched him. The strain on Danny's face couldn't be hidden; nor could he prevent himself from the pained grimaces as he carefully straightened cramped muscles. Danny's eyes closed as the dreaded shallow cough broke free to pull on his healing chest wound.

"You're hurting and Grace would object. Loudly." Steve ground out firmly. "You're also thinking way too much, partner. Take it down a few notches."

The frustrated sound which emanated from Danny's throat validated Steve's ultimatums. Motioning with his chin towards the incentive spirometer which had been sent home with his ailing friend, Steve rediscovered an easier grin. However, there were two meanings behind his next words, neither of which was lost on Danny. "Just breathe, Danno. Baby steps."

The ostentatious vase of flowers so generously given by Gina Montrose nearly hid the medical device under a few of its hanging blooms. The ornate box of now half-eaten double chocolate chip cookies sat nearby with the cardboard top rocked partially open. The contrast provided for a memorable and very amusing state of affairs which prompted Steve's grin to remain longer on his face. But the entertaining comparison was something of which Danny wasn't willing to see.

"Later. I'm not in the mood." Eyeing the spirometer, Danny's pursed lips further communicated his growing exasperation caused by his weakness, Grace's tears and what he perceived as a ridiculous need to inhale on a plastic childlike toy to move other brightly colored plastic  _things_. Mark Paquin was never far from his thoughts; nor were the boy's volatile parents. At a loss, Danny glared at the gaudy, strongly scented display. The colors were even more vivid as gathering clouds increased to block the sun in thickening streaks.

"Do it, Danno, or I'm reporting back to the boss! This one here, brah!" His sincerely whispered tease was pitched as he nodded towards the sleeping child. It was met with another disagreeable sound, but Danny was easing off the chair to follow through on his required breathing exercises. Softly moving away and still smiling, Steve carried Grace into the house and on to the spare bedroom. His return trip to the lanai was fast as he checked his watch. Neither Chin nor Kono had arrived and they were easily over an hour late now.

Pulling out his cell phone, Steve paused just inside the doorway deciding if he should call one of them or just wait. His own mood soured at the mere concept of dealing with Beth Paquin. Kono's hushed revelations in the hospital stairwell were beyond rational belief. Because of what they all now knew, Steve was thankful that Danny had discovered Mark first. None of them dared fathom what Beth might have said ... or even done ... to the boy.

Thumbing his phone on to the main screen, Steve leaned against the frame of the door. His finger strayed to where he could speed-dial Kono, but he didn't tap through. While he was positive that the threats of a lawsuit were duly mitigated by Kono's findings, the accident and Mark still held ramifications. Heaving a worried sigh, Steve silently studied his friend.

Danny was standing by the table, slightly hunched. A breeze from off the ocean was ruffling already mussed hair and he was barefoot. However, he was dutifully inhaling on the simple medical device. Barely two of the three colored plastic balls moved inside the cylinders and Steve scowled as he watched feelings of frustration increase. All three balls should move in their independent tubes to reach adequate pre-marked heights; and that afternoon, Danny was nowhere near being able to achieve the goal. The failure and the negative mood it so obviously sparked made Steve's decision for him as he tossed his cell phone to the closest chair.

"Grace never woke up, Danno; the rest will do her good." Steve announced as he rejoined him. Mustering as much credible support as he could, he tapped one finger on the table. " How's it going? Looks good to me."

"Thanks for trying...," Danny wheezed back around a poorly vocalized chuckle. His eyes held mixed notes of self-disgust and worry for his daughter as he gazed dismally across the beach-like expanse towards the water. With one hand, he lightly thumped the incentive spirometer back down on the table. "... but it looks like shit. How can this stupid kid's toy be so damned hard?"

"Give it time. You'll be done with that thing inside of a week. Guaranteed," Steve noted. "In fact, it's Danno's one hundred percent guarantee," he affirmed with a settling arm now draped amiably over Danny's shoulders. The first half-laugh had been disingenuine. But what came out of Danny's mouth now was a truer attempt. It ended again on a wheeze but was substantiated by a smile as he held a protective hand to his side; but he laughed.

"You have to try one of these cookies," Steve suggested next as he slid Gina Montrose's second offering closer. The move was an unabashed deflection because he knew how Danny was doing. He also realized that Danny recognized that for exactly what it was.

Staring at the riot of low-hanging clouds in the sky and then the distant waves, Danny shook his head. There was a fuzzy, gray vertical sheet on the horizon which meant it was raining far out at sea. Overhead though, those smokey clouds were interspersed with slivers of blue. The scent of rain was heavier but they could still miss the rain showers entirely based on the occasional gust of wind. He opened his mouth and then closed it without saying a word before sighing in patient acquiescence.

"Fine. Okay," Danny murmured as he mentally tabled the Paquins and took consolation in his daughter's safety. "Cookies."

"They're seriously good," Steve prompted, taking advantage of the subtle opening. He was telling the truth though. After consuming no less than five of the double-chocolate treats, he was now on a new page of opinion where he felt that the eccentric divorcee simply meant well. He, for one, could deal with her hands at least straying in the kitchen if the woman could turn out such deliciously baked goods.

Selecting a sixth for himself, Steve took a demonstrative bite to send crumbs flying across the table. Rudely muffled, he gently rocked Danny into a one-armed hug complete with a devilish grin. "No lie ... these are great, Danno. Maybe you should take her up on that coffee date. We need an  _in_ , buddy."

"An  _in_? Is it that you're deranged or are you that easily ruled by your stomach?" Finally, Danny smiled at the lighthearted suggestion. He chuffed a baffled noise as he stared at the flowers before condescending to take a cookie. Suspiciously inspecting it between his fingers, he grinned around the first tentative bite. His second bite was bigger and backed by an appreciative sound of agreement.

"Okay, point well taken. Gina can certainly bake."

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

 

"It's not fair," Kono moaned angrily into her hands. She had just gotten off the phone with two district attorneys, one employed within the Paquin's original home State. Both insisted that they had no case against either Beth Paquin or State Senator Sloan. "Damned statutes, Chin! It's not fair ... it's not right! What am I supposed to tell Roger now?"

Running his hands tiredly over his face, Chin wholeheartedly agreed. What precisely were they supposed to tell the man? The truth was sickening in its simplicity; stunningly appalling thanks to the legal mandates contrived by State. Chin growled under his breath at the utter futility of it all before slapping the Smart table as if it were the fault of an emotionless technology. It seemed as if a lawsuit could be levied against HPD, the school system, the County and possibly even Danny, but the odious woman and her lover were untouchable.

"Call him," Chin sighed as he met Kono's troubled eyes. They were now very overdue on getting to Steve's house for a visit with their friends and there was nothing left to do that day. Their investigation combined with Mark's personal confessions had yielded a terrible past, yet there was no current recourse.

"We don't have a case against his wife or Sloan because the statute of limitations has run out on every possible charge." Chin reiterated.

"It's so wrong." Kono had to stop herself from shouting. "It's insane!" She felt off-kilter by what two different attorneys had agreed upon. While their verbiage might have been different and their conversations with the Five-0 officer slightly altered, their unfortunate opinions were identical. No case. The two converged on the same narrow legal path.

_No charges. No case. Not worth the potential emotional harm to the surviving child. The monies in the offshore account were too vague in their source._

_Here-say and words. Sticks and stones._

They had nothing except the potential to use the media to conduct a smear campaign against Sloan who was now firmly entrenched in his political seat of power. However, that action would by default involve Mark and his father, which of course had zero value.

"Call him," her cousin stressed. He allowed her the room to vent but maintained his calm. He was indeed angry but they literally had no charges to bring against either person. There was no outward abuse involved and it wasn't necessarily illegal to leave the twins home alone for a few hours. They could never prove that there was any intent to do physical harm to the children. The subterfuge to hide the 911 call was definitely illegal but there was nothing to come of it without being able to leverage those child endangerment charges. Finally, if there had ever been an attempt, the ability for someone to have filed wrongful death charges had long expired under the statute just three years after Allen's death.

"Kono, we don't have anything and the man has a right to know." Chin pushed softly. "We don't even know what Roger might have wanted to do. But we have to tell him so he can protect Mark and make his own choices."

They were long beyond the terrible crossroads. When push came to shove, the only thing to know was that two consenting adults had an affair while a child fell to his death.

_**~ to be continued ~** _


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter Twenty-Two**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

 

"Do you like them?" Mark nodded to Kia's shy question as he tried to nibble on the large cookie. He was still as pale as the sheet he lay upon and not very hungry. But the bed was raised and for the first time since he could remember being in the hospital, his head didn't hurt. He didn't expect to get any visitors and Kia's arrival with her mother was nothing short of astonishing. He blushed at the small cellophane bag of chocolate chip cookies tied shut with a bright red bow and didn't know what to say about the handmade get well card. But Mrs. Montrose's doting kiss which left red lipstick on his forehead rendered him dumb.

"We made them yesterday." Kia added after a short silence. Her eyes rolled dramatically upwards. "My mom likes to bake. A lot. Does your mom?"

"What?" His eyes were liquid, dark and very brooding. Watching Kia's mother talk animatedly to his subdued father just inside the doorway to his room was a major distraction. Gina and Kia Montrose had extended their visit for quite a long period of time. While Kia was on the quiet side, Gina was ebullient and overly talkative, drawing his father out at a steadily persistent rate. So by that time, he wasn't listening entirely and her innocent question took him by surprise.

"Bake," worried by his curt response, Kia repeated her question. "Your mom ... does she bake, too?"

"No," Mark's cheeks flushed in an embarrassment. His mother might have been considered a housewife, but she was far from being pleasantly domestic. There was rarely cooking as most occasions opted for catered food or even delivered higher-end fast food. At most, his mother might have left a cereal box on the kitchen table or on a rare occasion made a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. But there was definitely no baking done to make the house smell warm and cozy on cold days. In fact, the only thing the oven seemed good for was to store never before used bakery pans and casserole dishes.

"Oh," Kia mumbled. Now at a total loss of what to talk about, she stood idle by the side of the bed not knowing what to do or say. Besides being at an awkward age, neither were very good friends at school. They knew each other, didn't really  _know_  each other and worse yet, had nothing in common.

"You were really brave," Kia suddenly whispered while toying with her fingers. "On the rocks ... and after what happened after Mr. Williams got shot ... here, too. You're really brave. It's kind of scary being in the hospital."

Slack-jawed by her soft praises, Mark had to work at slamming his mouth closed. "He's a detective. Not a mister, so you should say Detective Williams. He's going to take me to the forensics lab to investigate where the weapon came from. It might have been used in a real crime." Choosing to correct his classmate and then to impress her, Mark didn't know what to say about Kia's actual compliment though. He certainly didn't feel brave and his memories of what had happened were terribly raw.

Self-consciously, Mark glanced up while finishing the first cookie to watch her studying her fingers in diligent solitude. Still unable to find something else to say, he reached for a second cookie, grinning when Kia heard the plastic wrap crinkling.

"It's not scary here. Doctor Webber is really nice." Mark returned Kia's shy smile and then shrugged when she looked at the bandage on his head. He answered her before she could ask. "I hurt my neck and back when I fell. Plus, I have a hairline skull fracture. I get dizzy sometimes, but it doesn't hurt anymore; and, I have twelve stitches under the bandage."

"Fracture?" Kia wrinkled her nose, not quite understanding what that meant. However, she understood the part about the stitches and was duly impressed. "Twelve? That's a lot," she hushed out in admiration. "Is your hair gone, too?"

"A little bit I guess," Mark admitted. He hadn't thought to ask about his hair. Now, his fingers strayed to touch the edges of the white wrap and he grinned, shrugging again to confess he wasn't entirely sure. He looked up in askance when his father and Mrs. Montrose finally came back into the room.

"Dad? Is my hair gone?" His unexpected question made his father rock to a halt by the foot of his bed. Rounding the side, Gina made space for herself on the edge of the bed. She gave out with a light laugh regarding Mark's question, daring to swipe a long swath of his hair off his forehead.

"Your hair?" Perplexed, Roger stared at his son. His jaw worked almost anxiously as he watched Gina's apparent natural ease, astonished by her sheer comfort in making herself fully at home. Her legs were tucked demurely under her, but those same legs ended in pointy-toed, designer stilettos. At once bordering risqué, but confusingly down to earth, Roger's head was spinning by the visit.

Gina Montrose had cried in the hallway.

More than his son's own mother, a veritable stranger had shed very real tears once she had coaxed Mark's injuries out of his very mouth. To his own horror, he had nearly shown the woman Beth's damning letter in his own flux of needing an emotional purge. So now, Roger forgot to think as he stared at his son, a little dark haired girl, and this outrageously complex woman. Mark hardly knew his classmate and Gina Montrose was a complete stranger to both, yet her eyes held nothing but concern as she simultaneously searched for another tissue to wipe the stubborn remnants of lipstick from his son's skin and ...  _laughed_.

"Your hair?" Roger was tongue-tied; entirely stunned when Gina smoothed Mark's hair gently away from the bandages and his son blushed at the unexpected attention.

"Yeah. My hair ... is it cut off?" He asked his father again, but Mark was gazing at Mrs. Montrose in shameless confusion. His hand came up blindly as another chocolate chip cookie was presented to him without preamble. One had also found its way to Kia who was happy to curl up in the closest plastic visitor's chair with her reward.

"Uh ... yeah ... I think a little was shaved off." Roger shook himself back to the present as he watched his son eat a cookie. Mark had barely spoken since the prior day and eaten less than a bird. Webber was concerned and one nurse or another was always popping in to see how he was feeling. Roger certainly hadn't mentioned the abrasive note left by Beth, yet the boy seemed to innately know that his mother wasn't returning. While having her there was far from soothing, this new truth also caused a certain moroseness. It was something Roger feared Mark would once more blame himself for causing; another reason to claim he wasn't good enough. Now, in just a few short frightening hours, Roger had discovered another need to be closer still.

Yet at that very moment, Mark looked different and asking about his hair of all things was simply ... a good change. "They had to for the stitches, but it will grow back," Roger added as he worried about his son's reaction. His eyes found Gina's, she read the concern and ... smiled soothingly to  _him_  ... and there was a soft click as his teeth clacked together in his mouth.

However, nothing else happened. In fact, the unexpected visit had brought color to Mark's face which lifted a bit of the illness away and cookie crumbs littered the white sheets of his hospital bed. His fingers were smudged with chocolate and remnants of a poorly thumbed away lipstick stain could be seen on his forehead despite Gina's determined efforts. There might even have been the hint of an awkward smile on his son's face and Roger literally forgot to think as a new question was blurted.

"What?" Roger stammered just as Chin and Kono appeared in the doorway. They startled him and he missed what Mark repeated for their arrival, only sensing that Gina had gracefully gotten to her feet.

"We don't mean to interrupt," Kono began, her voice dwindling away as she paused. They were walking in on an odd tableau during what appeared to be a dramatically silent lull. Quizzically, she chose to continue when all eyes turned her way. "We were going to call, but we'd rather speak to you in person, Mr. Paquin."

"More detectives?" Once more impressed, Gina's interest grew as her eyes fell to their Five-0 badges. "Friends of Danny's? Is something wrong?"

"Yes, we work with Detective Williams," Kono answered in mild amusement for the woman's underlying intrigued tone. Evading the second question entirely in lieu of more information, she only smiled. It was easy enough to assume that the link to Danny was through school and Grace based on the little girl who sat so quietly in the corner. Other than that though, Kono held her tongue and absorbed what she read as a comfortable gathering of friends.

"The lab," Mark whispered urgently. "Dad."

"What?" Roger stammered, blinked and then refocused on Mark.

"When do you think Detective Williams will take me to the lab?" Switching subjects too quickly, Mark's overly loud whisper was wracked with excitement as the rest of the Five-0 team arrived. His head swiveled from his father to Gina, and then landed on the cousins. "He did mean it, right?"

The question had Kia's undivided attention as well, and Roger was clearly put on the spot. He also wasn't certain if that offer had been genuine based on the dire circumstances and so, he hemmed and hawed as Chin and Kono attempted to catch up on the discussion. In the end, it was Gina Montrose who provided the no-nonsense response.

"A tour of the police lab?" Gina was properly awed as she looked from father to son and then moved forward to take Kono's hand. She grinned meaningfully at the young woman as she tried to relay the importance of the issue; tugging her gently towards Mark who nervously deigned to smile in return. "If Detective Williams said that he'd take you ... then Mark ... he will take you when you're both back on your feet. Have no doubts about that, Pumpkin," she sweetly assured him with another expectant glance towards Kono. "He's a man of his word."

"It seems that Detective Williams mentioned a possible tour of the forensics lab once Mark felt better." Rotating his shoulders as a way to release his tension, Roger then rubbed at his face. He was tired and emotionally drained to his very core. He was barely keeping up with his son who suddenly held a welcome spark of excitement.

"The lab?" Kono asked, a smile breaking through as she pieced together what Roger was finally finding the words to voice. Now by Mark's side, she nodded. "Okay, I get it. This is about the gun you found?"

"When he's feeling better ... when they both are better ... Detective Williams told Mark he could have a tour. Do either of you know if that can still happen?" Roger quirked a half-smile, now seemingly embarrassed to ask. While Gina was beaming, it was more than obvious that he was concerned that the reply would be a resounding one of adamant denial.

"Oh," Chin raised his eyebrows now that he understood the entire issue. "If Danny said it ... then he meant it," he asserted firmly while smiling warmly at Mark. "I'd count on it, in fact."

"That's cool," murmured Kia. Now even more impressed, she was staring wide-eyed at Mark as if he'd gotten the biggest Christmas present that she'd ever seen.

"The weapon is still being evaluated. We don't have any results yet from ballistics to match the bullet or weapon to any past crimes." Chin added, captivating not only Mark with his very specific update. "The forensics team is still working and using the databases to find a match since the gun was so damaged by the elements. Regardless, you'll be included on whatever we find out."

"You're kidding," Roger harrumphed loudly in disbelief. Mark was glowing now, yet Roger grimaced in sympathy when he realized the bullet Chin referred to had been the one retrieved from the injured detective. Yet, a very real smile slowly lit his features as he listened to Chin's easy banter. "Ballistics? Matching it to a crime? You can really do all that?"

"It's not perfect," Chin slightly amended what he'd been saying. There was a real possibility that the gun might never be matched to its original offense; if even used in one. "It may not work. But there's serial numbers, fingerprints, ballistics reports and a mountain of scientific study that goes into this."

Kono grinned as Roger Paquin hung on every word and absorbed what her cousin was describing. Their original reason for visiting was forgotten as a healthier conversation took its place. "Do you think you would still be interested in seeing the lab, Mark?" She knew the answer, but had to ask anyway even as his mouth fell open in shock. "Suppose we don't have a match at the end of the day? Do you still want to go?"

"Are you kidding? Of course he wants to go!" Roger interrupted enthusiastically. Then he laughed with a childish tilt to his head before he asked his next loaded question. "Can I go, too?"

"I don't see why not," Chin said. "I'm sure Danny will reach out to you once things are settled."

"I told you," Gina's playful whisper to Mark was conspiratorial. Elated by the exciting news, he had forgotten all about his third cookie. Bits of chocolate warmed by his hand were melting to mar the white sheet. She sighed patiently while once more opening her large briefcase-sized pocketbook. "Kids ... and chocolate. And now white sheets."

Brow knit as confusion once more made Roger Paquin stare at her antics, he found his courage to ask Gina a question. One that was important to him as he glanced back towards Kono and Chin. "Gina, can you stay with Mark for a few minutes?"

"Of course!" Gina's reply was full of a genuine pleasure at being able to help. "I can stay as long as you need me. Go ahead ... Kia and I would be happy to keep Mark company." Boldly inspecting the bakery bag which sat on the boy's lap, Gina smiled happily as she counted what remained. "If you like the cookies, Kia and I will whip you up a bigger batch to celebrate?"

"Okay," Mark hesitated with a look which begged for guidance from his father. With an intrigued sniff and tentative smile, Roger nodded. The boy's words of thanks were then softly voiced. "Thank you ... they're really good."

"Chocolate fixes everything just right, Sugar," Gina remarked brightly as she started her studious attempts at cleaning dirty fingers.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

 

The three left Mark's hospital room to meet in a quiet corner of the cafeteria where Kono delivered her dour news. She groaned under her breath as Roger's earlier smile faded only to be replaced by a sardonic sneer of real rage. **  
**

"This isn't what either of us expected," Kono regretted every syllable of her message. "I'm sorry because it's not fair to you or the boys. It's not fair to Mark."

"It's alright," Roger ground out. He was angry, vehement in fact as strong emotions hardened his face. "She left last night and I thought I wanted to drag her through dirt along with Sloan. I was mad because I wanted to get her so badly and she had the absolute gall to leave. But going after her would only hurt Mark and I can't have that happen. What you've found out actually helps me ... as much as I hate it. But now, I just want her to stay gone and out of our lives forever. Especially out of Mark's because he deserves so much more than what he's been dealt."

Yanking the white envelope from his pocket, he slid it across the table to Chin and Kono. "Please read this and tell me how to officially sever her parental rights."

Roger's lips were twisted in a vile snarl as he followed the cousins' eyes while they read each short handwritten sentence. "With what you found out and this ... is it enough? Can I claim abandonment and be done with her?"

"I think so." Chin was the first to nod, stunned by Beth Paquin's letter to her husband which defied all sensibilities of motherhood and morals. "Yeah, this would do it for me."

 

**_"R. ~_ **

**_With Allen gone, there's nothing for me here. I'm leaving and don't intend to return._ **

**_I've waited too long to move on already and I don't owe you any explanations._ **

**_Keep Mark. He's more your son than mine. I'm sure you will both be quite fine._ **

**_. ~ B_ **

 

"We absolutely will be better than fine. We already are," Roger growled as he watched each person digest the note's import. "I should have ended this a long time ago."

He softened slightly by a sincere feeling of peace knowing that Gina Montrose and her Kia were sitting at that very moment with Mark. It was a special moment where his son seemed content and even possibly ... happy. For the first time in a very long time, he felt a bit less stressed and it prompted the conviction behind his next statement. "I waited too long and won't allow Mark to be hurt anymore."

"How can a mother not want her child?" Closing her eyes against what she'd read no less than three times, Kono's gasp was full of disbelief. She pined internally to have had the luxury of just cause to levy charges against the woman. Upon reading the hateful note, Kono wanted nothing more than to track Beth Paquin down for a very public arrest. "She just left? She walked out on both of you ... like this? Now? When Mark is so sick? It's totally unnatural."

"Beth never wanted to be a mother," Roger's face remained tight with anger. "She resented every change to her body; freaked about having twins. She hated every diaper, late night call for mommy, and childhood sniffle ... it got a little better as they got older. But really, it was only better for Allen. Maybe he wasn't as shallow, but he was a lot like her in other ways."

"So. Wow," Chin inhaled and then blew out his collected air as a deeply pensive sigh. "Roger, we are truly sorry that we can't help you more."

Because his anger was palpable, Roger at first chose not to answer. He had been out for blood, yet now he was coming to a new realization where severing her ties to his and Mark's new life together would be good enough. Instead, he got to his feet followed by both Chin and Kono who surged upwards as one but remained at a loss of what else to offer.

"Thank you because you are helping," Roger was trembling, but well under control. "You have helped. I'm getting a lawyer ... to file for abandonment and whatever else I can throw at her. She will never be able to come back."

_**~ to be continued ~** _


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter Twenty-Three**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

 

Sleepily, Mark lay on his side and tried to keep his eyes open as he listened to the weirdly melodic humming. Through his lashes, he could just make out Kia's shape in the side chair with her knees drawn up. She was smiling peacefully as she listened to the same soft tune. His father had been gone for some time. Mark knew he was speaking to the Five-0 officers about something related to his mother or even him, and he was worried.

That very concern had begun to trickle more into a real fear which Mrs. Montrose had unexpectedly seen. She had encouraged him to lay down and he'd reluctantly agreed. It was she who was now humming or almost singing a soft song while rubbing slow circles over his left shoulder and upper back. Mark fought the urge to doze which was sneaking more and more steadily up on him. He wasn't entirely confident in what was happening; not understanding why Kia's mother would even want to be nice to him. So he argued with his tired eyes and watched Kia for her reaction, not actually responding when she grinned shyly at him. She seemed to know he was tired and her patient smile deepened as her gaze flickered to watch her mother. Evidently, this was normal for Mrs. Montrose, so Mark tried to relax around a strangely shuddered inhale.

"You're okay, Angel," Gina stopped singing long enough to whisper when she felt his disquiet. The tune resumed for a few seconds until the bed dipped as she got up and he blearily peered up at her kind face. "Your father's back so we're going to go. You just think about what those nice detectives said, Mark. You have a lot to look forward to."

He felt her leave but her perfume lingered and Mark sighed to himself. His father came into view just as Kia was whispering her goodbye and just like that, their visit ended.

"Okay, son?" Roger whispered, equal parts worried and thankful by what he'd witnessed. Concerned by the unexpected doting, he fretted that it was much too soon for Mark to cope with; overly leery of the outward affection though it seemed honest enough. He was only mollified by the content, sleepy expression on Mark's face which provided answer to this primary concern. Swallowing hard to quench a rise in his own emotions, Roger decided to accept Gina's natural tenderness as a simple act of genuine kindness.

"She's nice," Mark's yawn was large and he blinked to vainly clear his vision but his eyes only insisted upon sliding shut. He wound up whispering so softly that his father barely heard him. "She's kind of ... strange ... but she's nice."

There was one cookie left in the small cellphone bag on the raised tray table and the purple beanbag dolphin was at first, nowhere to be found. Roger searched for it with his eyes, eventually spying it stuck between the mattress and the side rail. He retrieved the now battered and overused toy, positioning it by Mark's hand but his son's eyes were closed as his breathing eased into sleep.

"Strange?" The softly snorted reply held a hint of amusement as Roger smiled, his baffled eyes continually relaying his agreement. "Yes, that she is."

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

 

Danny stood at the very edge of the last bit of damp sand just stopping shy of the ripples as they rolled gently up onto the beach. He had his arms draped comfortably over Grace's shoulders. Both were barefoot, but she had chosen to stand in the shallows while they watched the last of the sunset.

"I'm proud of you, Monkey," Danny said, smiling when she leaned backwards into him only to recover with a distressed sound. His first silent response was to pull her right back into the reverse hug, knowing that she thought she'd accidentally hurt him.

"Nope, you're fine." He voice his second reply to reassure her. However, he was proudly mulling on how perfect Grace was and trying to find even more words. In the end, Danny decided talking was over-rated as his daughter settled against him, happily squeezing her fingers when her hands came up to meet his in contentment.

They were stuck there; mired happily in place. Neither was willing to move from the tranquil spot after their lengthy private talk where Grace purged all of her worries. She began with the accident, sharing her anger over Sammi and Mark; then almost cried over her continued regret for being prevented by Sergeant Lukela to help. There was a near-frightened confusion about the elder Paquins, too. She had chosen to end her tale on the beanbag dolphin which Danny had known nothing about. Danny's ire about Mark's parents simmered and stewed in his daughter's defense but he remained sternly quiet, focusing on the value of her spontaneous small gift. Her intent to help Mark was innocently sweet and what she had done only raised her up higher in his eyes.

"We should go back," Danny finally whispered because the sun was disappearing with a vengeance. Chin and Kono had finally arrived, too. Delayed by their hospital visit to see Roger, they arrived closer to a late dinner hour. Their entrance preceded Grace waking from a rather long nap and seemed to prompt the advent of a beautiful sunset. The threat of rain had even moved well off leaving nothing but ribbons of red, mauve and pink streaking the horizon from left to right. That was when Grace and Danny's urgent need for private time had taken precedence.

"I think I feel them all watching us," Grace laughed without turning around. "It's probably time to eat anyway, Danno."

"I bet you're right on both counts," he replied, now reluctantly disengaging himself from their comfortable spot to begin their stroll back to the lanai. He snorted softly when he saw the three darkly outlined silhouettes all facing their way. Light from inside Steve's house spilled outside and they could smell the ample amount of cooked food on the breeze.

"Not very subtle are they?" Danny chuckled at their diligent keepers, smiling even more when he saw Kono blatantly tap her watch. "I hope you're hungry, Monkey. I think Uncle Steve barbecued an entire cow this time."

Grace laughed at the light joke, beaming as she tugged him slowly back hand in hand. "It smells like it!"

"Everything alright?" Steve mouthed with a serious tilt of his chin towards Grace. He smiled at Danny's answering nod which included a fond kiss on top of Grace's head before she could escape for two plates. Her imperious look at his partner's pleased face to the empty chair she sternly pointed to, settled any remaining concerns Steve might have had.

"You heard the girl, Danno," Steve snarked as Grace began to mount a quest to feed her father. "Sit. Stay."

The four caught up over dinner about the cousins' findings and Roger Paquin's emotional response, intentionally editing certain portions for Grace's ears. It was just enough detail though for both Danny and Steve to be completely disgusted by what Beth Paquin would seemingly get away with. But the importance of the findings which Chin and Kono shared with them that night wasn't lost on Danny as he eased gently back in his chair.

He frowned to himself pensively as he digested the adultery, the lies and years' worth of deceit. Knowing even more about Mark and his twin brother, Allen, twisted his chest both emotionally and physically. He felt as cheated as the boy he tried to soothe in the hospital stairwell. Cheated and let down time and again. Danny listened closely as Kono carefully alluded to the letter which Beth left for Roger to find; however, what it indicated brought Danny back to one key point: there would be no lawsuit.

"Danno, are you okay?" Grace saw his frown. She was uncertain now as the team fell into a quiet frame of mind. They had shared the information with such subtle ease, Grace was entirely lost in the conversation. Something which Danny greatly appreciated as he smiled soothingly in her direction, nodding that there actually were no issues. Chin's particular skill in providing just enough for astutely trained ears was astonishing in its weavings.

"We're good, Monkey," Danny re-affirmed with a grateful look aimed at each cousin. Though the two had done the bulk of the investigative work, he caught Steve's eyes to convey a deeper thanks; one particularly related to his partner's earlier vow when it seemed as if things would indeed spiral out-of-control.

_"I promise you aren't going to have to worry about this."_

The wry grin grew exponentially as the message was duly received and acknowledged. Danny chuckled softly at Steve's now very obvious  _'I told you so'_  shrug. It was followed by a privately communicated toast as Steve tipped his near empty beer bottle in his direction. The smile beaming as large as Danny's at their success despite its traumatically sad origins. Kono's next question though had Danny thinking once more; deep thoughts that brought back a sense of disturbing feelings.

"Mark said you promised him a tour of the forensics lab," Kono prompted. "I guess when you were alone with him before the accident happened." They all knew that Danny had some holes remaining in his memory and his quizzical expression proved this was one. "He said that you told him he could see the lab and maybe learn about the weapon's history if we were lucky enough to find that out. He's very excited about it, Danny."

"Maybe. I might of," Danny scowled as certain dark memories flit uselessly just beyond reach. His own nasty demons always brought him up short and just after Grace's voice echoed in his mind's eye.

_"Danno, they found a gun."_

Even now, that one thing jolted him. The ghost-like words made him glance nervously in his daughter's direction. He had to forgive himself the remembered taste of raw fear because the accident had scarcely occurred four days earlier. Danny struggled to school his features, knowing that his face had darkened and that he'd became moody within the space of a heartbeat. He was relieved that Grace was looking elsewhere to miss his expression entirely. But after that mental picture, he shook his head because he barely remembered the two boys. He certainly didn't recall the conversation he'd had with Mark.

"So?" Steve breathed out the one word so quietly it was almost covered up by the sound of the surf. The tone begged to clarify that Danny was alright because he'd noticed what Grace had missed.

"Of course, I'll take Mark," Danny shrugged off the memory and forced his mood to lift. However, his lingering distracted attitude admitted he didn't quite remember the promise. "I probably did bring it up to him ... it sounds fair and if he's so excited, then he deserves to go."

"Well, at least someone else visited Mark, too," Chin gently changed the topic of conversation to divert down a different path. "Gina something or other, and her daughter. She stayed with Mark while we spoke to his father. She seemed nice enough."

"Oh no, she's a piranha," Danny declared, happy to move on to something else. He didn't say his words too unkindly though as he eyed the partly opened box of chocolate chip cookies. "A piranha who can bake ... and I bet, even that's a trap." His voice trailed off as he frowned after moving the white bakery paper to find one cookie at the very bottom surrounded only by crumbs and smudged bits of chocolate.

"Where did my cookies go?" Danny glared at Steve's not so innocent face as he crab-walked his fingers towards the rim of the box, missing the edge by a millimeter when Steve quickly scooped it off the table. "Hey!" he asked almost too softly. "You ate the entire box and I've only been out of the hospital for a few hours?"

"I thought we shared everything." Steve retorted, eyes laughing as he teasingly lifted the last double chocolate chip cookie skywards as if it were a trophy. "Besides, you just said you were full and couldn't possibly eat another bite. Verbatim actually."

"Dessert is not food. It doesn't count!" Danny argued much to Grace's growing delight. "And did you just say  _share_? Since when? You take ... you take keys, cars, and now my cookies which are a case in point, my friend! But _share_? No. That particular word is most definitely not in your lexicon."

"My what?" Steve laughed as Grace's eyes flew from her father's face to the sweet token under discussion.

"Lexicon. Dictionary, vocabulary. The very short list of  _your_  everyday words," Danny ground out as he watched Steve break the cookie in half. Bits and crumbs fell to the table including a particular larger chunk which held an enticing chocolate morsel. Ever so carefully, it was Kono who casually swiped that broken portion to pop it into her mouth. Eyes dancing merrily, she grinned at Danny as he momentarily forgot his train of thought.

"Of which ... and in your case ... said list does not include a word like share!" Danny slowly continued, his eyes widening as Steve elegantly presented Grace with the first half.

"See, Danno. I can share," Steve stressed slyly, daring him to say something about Grace. The silence was deafening before he finally gave in and handed his partner the remaining half. "This proves we need an  _in_  with the piranha." Steve laughed as Danny mumbled something under his breath. Something no one could quite hear since his mouth was busily chewing.

"Well," Chin laughed as he got to his feet tapping his watch. "While you two devious minds try to take each other on, I'm bidding you all farewell for the night."

"Sounds like a plan," Danny agreed. Slowly he rose to his feet beckoning Grace to his side. "Anyway ... I'm with Chin since I think it's getting late and someone has school tomorrow." One hand went out stunningly in the dusky space between where Danny was sitting and where Steve was standing. "Dame mis llaves."

"What? No." It was the only remarkable reply Steve could think of as Danny demanded his car keys in Spanish as if the request was the most normal thing in the world.  _As if h_ e'd be permitted to drive only mere hours after being released from the hospital. So Steve's eyes narrowed though his follow-up was equally less insightful as he stared in utter astonishment when Danny got to his feet. He leaned backwards as Danny leaned across the table, fingers outstretched.

"Come on. Where's my keys?" Danny pushed harder. "Are they in the house?" Somewhere between the chaos of the long weekend, Steve and Duke had arranged for Danny's car to be moved from the beach front parking area. For whatever reason, the Camaro had wound up miraculously in Steve's driveway instead of even the Five-0 office lot. It was a sort of divine pre-ordained providence and perfectly available for Danny to now take home.

"No." Steve shoved his hands deeply into his pockets as if removing them from view would help in drilling the obvious answer completely home. "Absolutely. Positively. Not. Are you crazy?"

"That wasn't the plan, brah," Kono smoothly replied while deflecting Steve's next incredulous remark which was sure to have been much louder. Her bland non-reaction while rocking her chin in the palm of her hand where she leaned so casually on the table settled Steve as she easily joined his camp.

"The plan was that you'd both stay here tonight so I could take Grace to school in the morning. Girl talk ... remember?" Nearly sing-songing each word, Kono quirked an amused eyebrow as Danny looked at each of his friends.

"I feel fine ...," not getting far as Chin heaved a dramatic sigh to interrupt him, Danny's voice trailed off. "... really. Good, in fact."

"I vote no on the keys," Chin helpfully supplied, much to Danny's chagrin. "Besides, as you just stated, you only got out of the hospital a few hours ago. You're on meds and need help for a day or two."

"Aunt Kono said she'd take me to school, Danno," There was a bit of a plea in her tone as Grace also weighed in on the conversation. She glanced worriedly towards his side where the bandage was hidden by his shirt making her other concern well known. "My stuff is already here, too."

"That's right. It is," Steve added with a certain smugness. He had retrieved her belongings from his partner's house just before the kayaking escapade and he had planned ahead quite well. With arms now folded tightly across his chest, his expression communicated that he was not up for a discussion on the topic. With three reinforcements fully vested on his side of the dictatorship, Danny didn't stand a chance.

"I didn't realize I was under house arrest," Danny muttered on his way back down to his chair. The only answer he received was the one-sided and much too self-satisfied smirk from Steve.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

 

"I was just thinking..." It was well after midnight and Danny's voice was raspy. He and Steve had migrated into the house, convening in the living room. The cousins had left hours earlier and Grace was long ago asleep on the floor in the spare bedroom after an exciting array of Steve's SEAL gear was rummaged through to make up a bivouac of sorts. The thick pad which the sleeping bag was arranged on, along with a pillow, made for a comfy corner and she was asleep before her head could be buried in the material. But even since the house had quieted, Danny had been unable to truly rest despite his growing fatigue.

"Again? You're beyond over-tired and starting to hurt," Steve warned for the tenth time. "On top of those two things, you and the thought process are not good friends at the best of times. You're starting to dwell on things you can't change."

The amused snorted sound indicated Danny's opinion of that special gem of understanding as he picked up blithely where he'd left off. He was dwelling and couldn't stop. He continued even as Steve frowned because his words were sadly serious. "Mark gave up on them. On his parents. I was just thinking and comparing him to me ... to Grace."

"Why would you do that? They're literally as different as night and day from you! Grace shouldn't even be mentioned in the same sentence," Steve objected almost crossly to the comment. "The Paquins are not  _you_  ... Beth Paquin is not like anyone I've ever known ... and thank god for that."

"How many books did his mother read to him before bed? How many times did he ask her to play with him and she didn't have enough time?" In response to Steve's disapproving look, Danny stopped there though he had many more mental imaginings running through his tired brain. He knew no one asked how Mark's day at school might have been; who his friends were or if he had fun. Or worse, if he was even bullied. What he felt in the boy while in the hospital stairwell was a sense of total desperation. Loss. Devastation. The worst possible things all coiled inside a twelve year old child.

"The one answer to every single question you have right now is going to be  _never_ , Danno. You know that. In fact by saying those things, you just proved the very fallacy of your attempted comparison." The timbre of Steve's voice matched Danny's, however his emotions bordered more heavily towards anger. "You're not being fair to Roger Paquin, either. The man was totally blindsided by what Kono found out. Completely in the dark for years and he's more than stepping up to take over; so end it there. We...  _you_... should go to bed."

"Sure if the poor kid doesn't now blame himself for his mother walking out." Danny honed in once more on Mark's parents. He tensed as he raised his voice and flinched as the slouched position conflicted with a too deeply made inhale. He sank limply down into the cushions for a few seconds before continuing. Suddenly subdued, one hand flopped idly in the air. "I can't believe that woman made that boy lie for her … Steve, he was scared to death in the hospital."

"I know. But you have to admit that his situation is better than it was," Steve insisted. "Mark has a much better chance for happiness. You're going to help with something as simple as touring the lab which will prove to him that there are good people in the world. People who like him enough to give him a chance. People who keep their promises."

Inhaling a bit more prudently to say something else, Danny reconsidered and wound up merely nodded. His eyes closed against their dull aching burn at the same time he lay his head back into the sofa. "Later," he groaned unhappily when Steve's shadow lurked over him and something rattled annoyingly in the quiet of the room. Plastic on plastic was an irksome noise.

"You can go to bed or have another round on Webber's toy." Without looking, Danny knew Steve was holding the spirometer in his hands. Probably gleefully at that.

"First house arrest and now threats." Partly opening only one eye, Danny failed at leveling his best glare at Steve's imposing shape. "What is this? Heal thyself the Gitmo way?"

"Gitmo? Okay, now I'm impressed. That was actually a good one." Steve laughed even as the unexpected yawn swallowed any respectable potential for sounding convincing. But when nothing happened except for that one eye to close, he rattled the plastic breathing device warningly. "Pick, or I pick for you."

Eyes tightly shut, Danny blindly held his left hand out as a silent plea for help. The long day had taken a toll on him, as had the persistent penchant for thinking once he was able to marry up Mark's emotional tribulations to Kono's more factual findings.

"Meds are on the side table in the spare if you need them." Steve waited patiently, one hand on an elbow as Danny rocked forward. "Sleep yourself out, pal. Kono's got Grace covered for school tomorrow; she'll be back in the morning with breakfast in hand."

"Malasadas?" Danny cocked his head, peeling an interested eye open as he found his feet, swaying a bit in response to a hesitation in straightening his back until muscles acclimated from a lazy sofa-ridden slouch. He grinned at Steve's nod of confirmation.

"Gitmo with benefits; you may be forgiven." Danny smirked, waving more help off as he aimed himself for the spare bedroom.

"Just go to bed already," Steve chuckled softly, ambling behind at a respectable but cautious distance as his friend weaved awkwardly down the short hallway. Obstinate to his very core, Danny was virtually asleep on his feet as he maneuvered himself to sit on the bed. He looked up after checking on Grace from where he sat, smiling in contentment when he saw how peacefully she slept. Eyes meeting Steve's, Danny blinked through a blurry haze just in time to catch the warning. The silent message was delivered loud and clear as Steve meaningfully pursed his lips and raised one finger in the air before rudely tapping his temple a second time.

 _"Right, no more thinking,"_  Danny groused inaudibly, easing himself under the covers with a pained sigh. He blinked again forcing his eyes to focus on Grace who was wrapped in dark forest green camo-like bedding ... and grinned. His last thought was of Guantanamo Bay and he sniffed back a strangely bubbled giggle before he obediently forgot everything else.

_**~ to be continued ~** _


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~ END ~

**Chapter Twenty-Four**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

 

"Mark likes math," Roger offered in response to the forensic scientist. "And all the sciences ... especially chemistry, though." When his son suddenly became more shy than usual, Roger Paquin found himself taking over the bulk of the conversation with Doctor Charles ' _Charlie_ ' Fong. The Asian scientist was young and very amiable, yet Mark had lost his ability to speak.

"Those are critical subjects not only to like, but also to be very good in," Charlie concurred. The general tour had begun well and Mark had participated fully until they journeyed specifically to the ballistics section. When Charlie pulled out the 9mm gun, tagged and sealed in a plastic bag, the boy had reverted to be as silent as a mouse. Attempting to re-engage him, Charlie hunkered down with a friendly smile. "To work in a forensic science lab, you need to go to college and get a degree in science. But you don't stop there, Mark. After college, you need to get what's called a Master's degree in forensic or natural science. This means you have to take biology, chemistry, physics, math, and advanced science courses. Do you think you can do all of that?"

Mark wanted to answer yes to each of those things. He tried inside his brain where an inner voice was hollering in excitement. His eyes however were focused on the 9mm weapon and the sight of it dampened that inner voice until it squashed it entirely. Placed next to the gun, Charlie had taken out two other smaller bags which were also tagged for identification. None of these items had been explained in detail yet, nevertheless Mark knew one of the bullets had been  _his_. He was calling it  _his bullet_  because it was his  _fault_  Grace's father had been shot.

"I want to go home," Mark whispered out of the blue. He even surprised himself, yet as soon as the five words were uttered he knew the truth of it. He desperately wanted to leave and find a quiet, safer place to be alone.

"What's wrong?" Stepping forward, Danny glanced to Roger before bending down next to Mark. "Why do you want to leave all of a sudden?"

Danny had been the perfect host, explaining and coaching but allowing the subject matter expert to run the show. Charlie had been great, too. His light banter and ability to keep complicated things more simple had been a critical part of the visit. Mark was excited and on the edge of his seat as he listened and learned about the various departments. Now though, he had completely changed upon setting eyes upon the weapon.

"Just do," he whispered again, swallowing hard as his face flushed a hot red into his ears. He felt his father come up from behind and still couldn't move even when he sensed his father's concern. In fact, he barely had managed to answer Danny and yet, Mark couldn't take his eyes off the gun. It was bigger than he remembered. Blacker than black, solid and very heavy-looking. He wasn't sure if he wanted to know more or find out what the lab report would reveal about its past.

"Roger, do you mind if I talk to Mark privately?" Danny asked as he comfortably placed his hands on the boy's shoulders which were tight with tension. "It may ...  _uh_  ... take a few minutes, alright?"

"Of course," confused and worried, Roger reluctantly agreed. "Sure. That's fine. I'll wait here." He and Mark were still feeling each other out; trying to find their new balance together and mutual comfort zone. Torn by wanting to help, Roger grimaced uncomfortably before sighing in understanding and offering a reassuring smile to his son as the detective steered him out of the ballistics lab.

Once clear of the department, Danny guided Mark down the hall to an employee break-room. "You feel okay?" Danny asked, taking a seat at one of the small round tables. "Do you want to talk about it, Mark?"

The answering shrug was far from convincing about either of his questions; the general air of stress was only compounded by Mark's refusal to look up from where he stared at the tiled floor. "It's not what you remembered, is it?" Danny gently asked. He thought he had understood the problem and now, based on Mark's increase in anxiety, Danny knew he was correct.

"Seeing it in person brings back some bad memories and makes it ... real ... all over again, doesn't it?" Waiting patiently, Danny watched for Mark's reaction. He wasn't at all surprised to see the tears building behind the boy's eyes.

The lead ball that was lodged in the pit of Mark's stomach lurched painfully to swell into his throat right before he burst into tears. He wanted to say he was sorry but he couldn't stop sobbing over and over as days' worth of residual anxiety broke through the surface. Then it was Grace's father who was apologizing as he stood there choking, gasping and crying when tears flooded his face. Unintelligibly, Mark hiccupped and coughed as he refused the kindness and understanding words.

"You've got a truckload of stuff piled on you, don't you, buddy? No one is mad at you ... it was an accident." Danny was upset too, nearly unable to keep his response to the boy's heartfelt crying under wraps. The choked sobs lasted longer than even Danny had thought possible and he wound up pulling him into his lap by the table. "Take big, deep breaths, Mark. Try to calm down. Alright?"

Exhausted, Mark tried to nod or say something because he was trying. Eventually he managed an agreeable murmur, pushing himself away from Danny and wobbling unsteadily on his own two feet. Sniffing and rubbing the wetness from his face, Mark attempted to smile and failed, embarrassed by his unexpected emotional display.

"I'm sorry," Mark whispered, finally looking into Danny's face. But his apology meant much more than for that moment and a fresh spate of hot tears welled in his eyes. "I didn't mean for it to happen."

He didn't know what to expect, but he certainly didn't think he'd see a smile which lit the older man's features to his very eyes. Tentatively, Mark felt himself beginning to smile in return even though his head hurt and his throat was scratchy and tight. He didn't know what to say anymore but he was confused by the enormity of Danny's smile.

There was no way for Danny to voice what he was thinking. Mark's apology simply brought Steve to mind and he couldn't prevent himself from a soft chuckle. "Apology accepted," Danny grinned at his private joke while ruffling Mark's hair with one hand. "It's time we got back to your dad. He's really worried about you. But you need to tell him if you still want to go home, or if you want to finish the tour. I can tell you though that what Charlie found out is really exciting."

Danny's tone was light and held no reproach. He only waited for Mark to decide if he truly could manage learning more about the weapon and where it had originated from. Five-0 knew the results of the forensics lab's ballistics tests the same week which Danny had been released from the hospital. In fact, testing and analysis had only been delayed due to work backlog and the staffing flux during the long holiday weekend. Once the lab focused on their next case, the weapon was traced back to a shooting at a liquor store committed four months earlier. The gun had been used to rob the store's owner just as he closed for the night. The owner had been shot in the shoulder during the brief altercation and the robber had gotten away with an entire day's worth of sales.

The bullet from the first victim matched the one also removed from Danny. So while they had their original victim and now the weapon used, the criminal was still at large. They had their crime and for Mark's sake, Danny was desperate for the perpetrator.

"I think I can stay," Mark murmured as he gained some more confidence. He was still wiping his face and trying to get himself under control but most of the big knot was loosened in his chest. He nodded when Danny pointed to the small sink and he dutifully washed his hands and face in cold water, drying them in a paper towel. When he turned around, his father was standing in the doorway. Completely uncertain on what to do or say, Roger glanced from Danny to his son.

"I ...  _uh_  ... got worried and couldn't wait. Is everything okay? Can I do anything?" Roger apologized lamely. "Are we staying, Mark? Whatever you want to do is fine."

Leaning back in the chair, Danny smiled at Roger to communicate his arrival as being perfectly timed; as were his appropriately phrased questions. His smile broadened as Roger let out a relieved breath of air that he'd been undoubtedly holding for quite a long time.

"Stay," Mark offered quietly. He wiped his eyes one more time with the side of his arm before grinning tiredly at his father. His nose was swollen and stuffy to match the thickness in his head from stress, nonetheless he felt a growing conviction as he voiced his decision more loudly. "Yeah, I want to stay. I want to hear what Charlie found out."

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

 

"This was a great idea," Steve said, almost gleefully rubbing his hands together as Grace's entire home room class convened in the Five-0 war room. Twenty-six twelve-year olds ranged around the Smart Table, with a few parents included to co-mingle with each Five-0 team member. Three weeks had elapsed since Mark, Danny and Roger had visited the forensics lab. During that time, acquaintances had become friends and another favor had been requested. This time, Mark had asked if his class could visit both HPD and the Five-0 Headquarters to learn more about real police work. Unable to say no to the boy and having no reason to deny him, Danny had readily agreed and then had coordinated the outing with Duke.

"Only because Gina is here," Danny smirked, but he was privy to something which his partner was not. An interesting union of like-minded people who simply needed to be ...  _needed_. It was true though that Steve's reasons were selfish because Gina's participation with her daughter included the largest tin of home-baked cookies he'd ever seen. Two tins actually. One had been presented sweetly by Kia to Sergeant Lukela for the HPD contingent. The second had gone directly into Steve's hands followed by the most skillful diversion Danny had ever witnessed. Worthy of a SEAL team strategic operation, Steve had graciously accepted the Five-0 gift given by Gina, herself, only to duck and weave away with an obscure excuse before the woman had a chance to raise a single finger.

"I need to warn you," Danny whispered. "They aren't all for you." He was just getting back to full-time field work after time off and desk duty. Feeling healthier each day, he also considered the concept more than a brilliant idea for his own purely selfish reasons. The school event given had him an additional free day with Grace and neither could be happier. Grinning, he waved to Grace who was standing near her Uncle Chin while he demonstrated the finer points of the Smart table itself.

"I thought I already demonstrated my capacity for sharing, Danno?" Steve bumped into his friend on purpose softly chuckling as Gina returned the wave meant for Grace. Where Gina happily gushed during her misinterpreted automatic response, Danny was hiding his hands behind his back. "Careful there, you're going to start something."

"Shut up. You don't actually know what you're talking about," Danny whispered even though Gina's eyes lit up when they landed on Steve's face. At the woman's side, little Kia shyly gazed at his partner, too, with an innocent expression that combined mixed feelings of awe and adoration.

"What does that mean?" Biting his lip to keep from laughing, Steve dared to wave back to the divorcee. She beamed, blushed and then unconsciously stroked Kia's hair. "She likes me."

"Gina likes everyone," Danny said with a sly tone while watching the group. He smiled to himself when he noted precisely where Roger had stationed himself. Near Gina but not obtrusively so. Close enough and yet in reality, a hairs-breadth from his son. His smile quirked into a larger grin when he noticed Mark shadowing Kia much the same; perhaps being even innocently protective. Their eyes met and Mark grinned in return, eyes shining in excitement as he absorbed what Chin was explaining.

During the last many weeks, Danny had obviously stayed in touch with Roger to inquire about Mark's well-being. It was one of the key reasons the school event had come about. But he'd also coached and supported Roger on finding a respectable Michigan-based divorce lawyer, one with a penchant for understanding the ins and outs of abandonment and the legalities of claiming spousal desertion. Kono had then remained involved due to her ongoing disgust of Beth Paquin's life story. Her unethical behavior, lack of mothering, and the final letter left for Roger dwelled on Kono's psyche so much so that she prepared a deep file for Roger's lawyer. Factual details related to the affair, commitment of adultery and any other evidence relevant further substantiated Roger's discussions with his legal counsel.

"Are you saying she likes Roger?" Steve shifted next to Danny as he finally saw the clues in front of him. "Or, that Roger likes her?"

Steve made a quizzical sound in his throat when Danny nodded to indicate he was correct on both counts. It was the only response he dare provide in such large, mixed company. The two had forged a companionable friendship through their children, which for Danny as a father, was the only best possible way. For whatever reason, the gentle platonic friendship simply worked and the two children happily merged into one unit.

"Well, isn't that an interesting state of affairs," Steve breathed out, his eyebrow raised when Gina glanced over her shoulder to gaze at Roger. The look was different too ... entirely different. Gone was the flirtatious challenge, replaced with a calmer, more confident ease.

"It is," Danny muttered. "He's got at least two years to finalize all of this though." He caught Steve's displeased scowl about the length of time needed to secure a justifiable divorce. But two was better than the original six years at first presumed.

Roger was not a vindictive person by nature and he lacked the words to use. He was also focused solely on Mark and not thinking of himself to consider his own legal future. While he could sever Beth's ties to her son within twelve months, his own future was an unknown and it took a great deal of one on one discussion for Roger to see the value. With Danny and Kono's help, he learned about abandonment, adultery, child endangerment and desertion. For Beth, charges of abandonment would mean that she had left her husband without mutual consent. It carried weight along with the proof of adultery, but proving desertion needed Kono's further factual findings. Once assembled in a cohesive whole, she was more than happy to present it to Roger's lawyer with a perfectly tied red bow. By the time she was done with her file, there would be no way for anyone to argue that Beth's departure was caused by her husband. With Five-0's help and guidance, not only would Mark be free of any potential future anxiety caused by Beth Paquin, so would Roger.

"Nothing on the gun though?" Steve whispered, sighing deeply when his partner shook his head. They had more than before by knowing the gun had been used in the liquor store robbery; but that was all they really knew. There was no DNA and nothing more to act upon without witnesses or more solid leads. Because the criminal had been dressed completely in black and wearing gloves and a ski mask, the man was unidentifiable. The injured store owner had only a partial description of an estimated height and weight.

"We'll get him. Eventually," Danny softly said under his breath. By his side, he sensed Steve's ready acceptance of the challenge and he smiled. "It's just a matter of time."

**~ End ~**


End file.
